


Shadows of Home Farm

by jdinglemonkey



Series: Shadows of Home Farm [1]
Category: Alternate Universe - Fandom, Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Alternate Universe, Home Farm, M/M, Supernatural Beings, Vampire AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 16:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11513097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdinglemonkey/pseuds/jdinglemonkey
Summary: When Aaron is set to leave for a couple of weeks, on a trip to London, his plans are changed as a being lost in history saves his life, throwing it out of balance in the process. Note! This entire piece is inspired by Ghostwriter15's The Vampire of Home Farm. I have spoken with her and she has okayed this all! You really should check out her piece too, it is phenomenal!I shall be updating this weekly, so stay tuned!





	1. A lost shadow?

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Vampire Of Home Farm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10597683) by [Ghostwriter15](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostwriter15/pseuds/Ghostwriter15). 



> Aaron is jumped on his way out of the village, but a mysterious figure saves him. His identity leaves Aaron puzzled.
> 
> ! Soft mention of self harm !

**T** he day had arrived, like it sadly did every year; the anniversary of the Home Farm fire. In 2005, this beautiful, and recently renovated estate combust into flames. Till this day people do not know the cause of the roaring fire, but the odd rumour flies around the village from time-to-time. The anniversary was fundamental, but a lot of residences did not care; the household was home to the White family. They were a power-hungry family that was fuelled off dominance and wealth above anything else. Most of the time they did not even agree with each other, fixing their internal problems by splashing cash at each other, in hopes it would substitute the emotions that were non-existent in the bold, cold farm estate. However, their was one family in the village that still mourned till this very day, twelve years down the line, the Sugdens. On that day of the fire, Robert Sugden, the oldest son of Jack and Sarah was on the premises. Robert's family wasn't behind his business deals with the Whites but money was Robert's true love, and there was a lot to be made by going into business with the Whites. The fire spread too quickly, engulfing him and the Whites, along with the crumbling wooden supports of the house. His remaining family, Victoria, Andy, and his step-mother, Diane, always pay their respects on this day. He was tricky to deal with sometimes, but they all loved him dearly.

 

The young man spat, throwing the congealed toothpaste and saliva into the sink, before washing it away. He looked up, with a stern glare that was furrowing his brow. Aaron Dingle, a younger man in his mid twenties; he co-owned the local scrap yard with his best friend, Adam Barton. Aaron was due to go away today, on a trip to London; he had been wanting to go for a while, but even this opportunity wasn't optimal as it was mainly for business, and very little for personal enjoyment. He didn't mean to look so steel at himself, but in reality he was a little worried for this trip, but didn't dare let anyone know. He took off his loose pyjama top, rolling his bottom lip under the upper, at an angle as he looked at his stomach. The scars were from months ago and were close to fully healing now. His life had not been exactly easy, his father had gone before he was even born and at a young age, his mother suddenly left, leaving him lost, sinking in the self-doubt that he was unwanted, that he made everyone want to leave him. He was taken in by other family, Zak and Lisa; he has lived with them ever since. He is looking to buy the recently rebuilt house in the village, the mill. He gave his head a quick shake, to snap himself back into the situation at hand. Taking a breath, he put on a pristine white shirt, concealing his scars for another day. He finished his apparel off with a moody-blue blazer and a matching tie; he had put his trousers on earlier. He heaved his burden of a backpack over his shoulder and headed out his room. Not much was said whilst he got prepared downstairs; he buried himself into his phone, texting Adam to meet him at the scrapyard so he could fill him in on jobs that were coming up whilst he was away.

 

After stopping by the scrapyard, Aaron was on his way out of the village. He wasn't travelling by car for this trip; London is the biggest place for hustle and bustle and Aaron wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to leave his car parked anywhere around there. Instead, he was heading to the bus stop just outside the village, as it was the only one that stopped by the train station. Walking past the dilapidated estate, Aaron stopped, looking up at the broken walls of the estate, the shattered glass panes and the colourless shadows that hid behind them. With a gasp, Aaron jerked a little as he saw a silhouette fleet past one of the windows. This house had been abandoned for twelve years, causing intriguing confusion to furrow his brow. Quickly glancing around, Aaron saw no one nearby; spying his chance, he dropped his backpack and slipped himself through the space in between the chained gates of the grounds. The dead earth left him unnerved, along with the arched branches of the bare trees, like crooked fingers; they coiled their finger tips as the breeze gently blew through the branches. Everything was in silence, the only noise being gingery-yellow leaves crunching under Aaron's shoes, and the quiet wail of the wind. With an instance, it must have been milliseconds, Aaron felt a severe pain in his lower stomach. He crumbled at his knees, holding his gut as excruciating pain was coursing through it all of a sudden. A long-haired, brunette figure appeared behind him; her eyes glowed with an ominous red amongst her fringe. Before Aaron could question, she pivoted on her leg, landing a forceful kick into his forehead, shooting him forward-leaving him unconscious. She walked forward, looming over him as something sharp and glistening ripped through her gums. "Chrissie, stop!" She retracted from her lunge forward as the abrupt voice commanded. A middle-aged gentleman was standing just ahead of Aaron, in a pale-blue shirt, with a pattern that could only be described as deep-blue asterisks.

"Well if it isn't the little pacifist; he is the first meal I've had in weeks, you won't stop me from having this one." Chrissie snapped, pushing her fringe to the side with her finger.

"But this isn't right; we shouldn't be feeding on innocent humans. No, I won't let you, so you either leave him, or I'll make you." The blond haired man sounded definite, as the muscles in his jaw clenched, defiant as he was. Chrissie scoffed, shifting her weight onto her right leg as she placed her hand on her hip, along with a tilt of her head.

"I'm already all over him, I could bite him quicker than you-" She was cut off as the blond-haired man was already upon her; he grabbed her by the arm, before sliding his foot under hers, letting him fling her away effortlessly. She tumbled a couple times before stopping herself with her hand and legs which were extended outwards. She stood upright, brushing off her tight-fitting leggings. "Not bad, for you at least. Fine, you win this time; I wasn't that hungry anyway..." Within a blink, she was gone from sight. The man leaned down to examine the younger gentleman lying unconscious. He ran his hand through Aaron's fluffy quiff that he naturally had before softly stroking his cheek with the backs of his fingers. His eyes went wide as he realised. He disappeared from sight for a moment, before returning with Aaron's backpack slung over his shoulder. He hoisted him up into his arms and walked back towards the house, checking over his shoulder, to make sure no one was watching them. Unfortunately, this was the only home the blond-haired man knew of. Ever since the fire, the situation has got a lot trickier, complex, causing the residence to come to an agreement.

 

Later on, Aaron awoke, wincing as sitting us made his stomach throb. He pulled up his shirt, looking at his cuts; some had re-opened since the injury from earlier. Aaron was scrolling through his mental recollection, trying to remember what happened. Things happened so fast, leaving a space in his mind that was riddled with questions. He looked around, not sure where he was; a room? a cell? His theories left him on edge. He saw his backpack to his side. Slinging it over his shoulder pushed pressure down his body, making him grumble again from his abdominal pain. He moved across the space with a limp as managing the pain was leaving him impaired. He felt around the shadows, feeling the walls that were painted in a blinding shade of pitch black. His hand finally stumbled across a door knob; he turned it, leaving him surprised as it was open. He half expected it to be locked, left like a caged pigeon in these four walls. The hall was empty, and under an eerily silence. Aaron took slow steps, clenching his teeth with worry whenever a floorboard creaked. He turned the corner, not being able to make much out in the aphotic cloud that was ahead on the landing. There was small light fittings on the walls either side of him but they were not in use; only decorating the wall, but failing at that purpose as well, as grime had coated them, making them look unsightly. Hazy light was seeping up the grand staircase from downstairs. The staircase had two sets of single stairs that met together towards the bottom to form one set of stairs. Aaron crept down, reluctantly steadying himself with the banister, as it was covered with dust. It had been settled for some time now as it was clumped together and fell away in clusters as Aaron ran his hand over it. His mouth was a little ajar when he saw the door ahead of him, unguarded. He quickly scouted to his left, and then his right, seeing the lobby was empty. He inhaled a mouthful of air, keeping it held as a reserve, knowing what he was about to do was going to strain him. He bounced off his foot, bursting into a sprint for the door, feeling his bruising intensify, along with his scars ripping open from the pressure. He skid on his feet, dragging his weight against the momentum, to come to a halt as the same woman from before appeared, just as confusing as before, as she seemed to come from out of no where. "Where do you think you're going?" Aaron staggered backwards, his vocal chords stunned with horror as he realised who she was. "I may of left you alone earlier, but that was  _earlier._ " She drove her hand into his stomach, clutching onto where she previously struck him. Aaron yelped in pain, trying to pull her hand off with his fumbling fingers.

"Please, just let me go, I don't want any trouble!" His voice sounded drained, as the pain was almost choking him. His cuts were oozing with blood as Chrissie was gripping onto them.

"There isn't any trouble. I am just hungry, and your the closest I'm going to get to a meal." Aaron looked up at her, his eyes blood shot as tears were just absorbing into the white's of his eyes from the severe pain.

"Chrissie! I told you to leave him!" roared a voice. The same gentleman from before appeared just to the right of the pair, with thunder rolling across his eyes from left to right. He thrust his right hand into Chrissie's chest, leaving her to slam into the front door lightly. He cupped Aaron with his other arm, keeping him held up with his now free hand. "You okay?" His voice had hushed to a soft whisper. Aaron just looked up at the man, lost, as everything was happening so fast once again.

"Why are you protecting him so much, Robert? He is just another human. You're so pathetic." She spat out her words, lurching forward with her torso as she spoke. "I don't know why I am wasting my time here." She disappeared out of sight, too quick for Aaron to follow with his eyes. He gasped aloud, shaken by what he had just seen.

"You okay?" Robert repeated, looking down at Aaron with a glow of concern in his pupils. Aaron was still silenced with something that was a mix of confusion, terror and sheer fear. He felt his stomach turn, causing him to scrunch his eyes shut. Everything stopped spinning, and his stomach finally retreated from his throat; he opened his eyes, realising he was back in the room he earlier left. However, a small table lamp was illuminating the room with a dampened light. The battered shade was ripped in places, letting extra light funnel out. Robert helped Aaron to the edge of the bed, before stepping backwards and putting his finger-ends on his hips. Aaron looked at the blond gentleman, not knowing what question to start with. "You shouldn't even go close to Chrissie; she is bad news."

"I should not even be here!" Aaron spoke coldly, sounding harsher than he expected. This situation was not ideal but this man in front of him had just saved his life, and from what Chrissie said, he had realised this man had saved him before from her as well.

"I know..." Robert was looking down at the floor as he paced, trying to think through what he should tell Aaron. An awkward silence fell between them again for a few moments. Aaron bit his lip, taking a breath as he looked back up.

"You should not be here...neither should she." Robert stopped in his pacing, to give Aaron direct eye contact. "You both _died_ back in 2005; that fire...It was in the newspapers-you died...How are you here?" He held onto his chest, scrunching his face as the blood felt scorching, making the cuts sting, on top of the bruising.

"So everyone thinks...You see," Robert began, taking a breath as he turned to faced Aaron "we never actually died in that fire. I was here on business, setting up some new agreements with the Whites, but it turned out, the fire, it was all a planned, to cover their tracks. They were being-"

"Wait a minute, covering their tracks? Just wait," Aaron rubbed his brow, gesturing with his hand as he continued "down there, she said I was her- _meal_ , what the hell does that mean?" Robert crouched, to match Aaron's height.

"She is...a vampire." Robert saw an instantaneous change in Aaron's face, as if a reoccurring nightmare was looping over in his mind.

"A what? No, that can't be right, they are just myths, folk lore. They _don't_ exist, no!" He replied with affirmation, refusing to believe what had just come out of Robert's mouth.

"They do, and have, ever since those times of folk lore and rumour. Vampires have lived amongst humans for centuries, Aaron." Robert inhaled, releasing the drawn air afterwards, preparing himself. "You are sitting in front of one as well."

"You what!" Aaron crawled back on the bed, aggravating his side pain, but that was the least of his priorities.

"No, no it is okay, I am not like her. I would never hurt a human." Robert stumbled forward, trying to reassure Aaron with his explanations but the induced fear in Aaron's eyes left Robert realising that he was not listening. "I know Aaron-that this is a lot to take in. Please listen to me when I say you need to stay here." Aaron alerted, looking at Robert.

"No, I am not staying here! You tell me that _vampires_ reside here, and you want me to stay here too?" Aaron's volume continued to rise in his anger as he spoke.

"I will just, give you time. You cannot leave, it isn't safe out there. Please, you have to believe me." Robert stood up, disappearing in a haze. The only thing Aaron really caught was the locking of the door. He limped over to it, falling against it with a bang of his fist, roaring for Robert to let him free. He was forced to return to the bed, his exertion punishing him. He lifted up his top, looking at the inflamed blue bruise, surrounded by a much larger red patch. His cuts were glowing, covered with scarlet liquid that had been trickling for the past fifteen minutes.

 

Some time had passed, Robert hadn't thought about anything other than Aaron. He knew he had so many questions, but Robert did not know how, or where to start with his answers. He appeared outside Aaron's door, hovering his knuckles over it, ready to knock. He thought against it as he placed his ear to the door. He heard Aaron wincing, blowing the trapped air out of his cheeks; his exhale was stuttered as he was dividing the pain, only touching up his wound in intervals. Aaron heard the mechanisms in the lock turning; he threw down his top and pushed further back across the bed. His fear subsided a little as he saw Robert enter; time had given him time to think. He saved him twice, so there must be some truth in what he said about not being the same. "Are you okay? I heard you from outside...sounded like you were in pain?"

"Have you just been standing out there, listening to me?" Aaron sounded defensive, still keeping to himself. Robert looked down at his shirt, seeing splotches of something red.

"No, I only just, got here." He trailed off the sentence as he walked over towards Aaron, causing him to retreat a little on the bed. Robert put his hands out in front of him, looking directly at Aaron. "I am not going to hurt you, I promise." Aaron examined Robert's eyes; they were different to Chrissie's. His eyes were glowing with a faded yellow colour. They were a lot calmer than Chrissie's. "I just want to take a look at that, okay?" Robert pointed towards Aaron's chest. Aaron was still reluctant; his cuts were not his proudest moment and he didn't want to reveal them to any stranger that came into contact with him. "Aaron, they are still bleeding, they need dressing." Aaron eased his tensed shoulders, shuffling forward a little on the bed. Robert lifted his shirt; his face dropped, as he looked over the blood-stained cuts.

"Go ahead," Aaron turned away, rolling his bottom lip under the upper "judge away, everyone else does.." Aaron's voice broke a little. No one understood his problem, not really. Everyone said they got him, but he always felt they secretly judged him behind closed doors, wondering why he would resort to hurting himself.

"I'm not judging anyone." Aaron's mouth fell ajar as he looked at Robert. He had his sleeves rolled up, letting Aaron notice faded marks on the bottom of his arm, close to his wrist. "I will need to get some more dressings." As Aaron took a breath, Robert had already darted off, at a speed that Aaron was still not even close to comprehending. He returned in a flash, with a full medical kit.

"I did not know you shared the grounds with a hospital." Aaron snickered, nervously as he was trying to reduce the tension, but wasn't sure if Robert would find it funny. He eased as he saw Robert half-smile.

"Always good to be prepared, I guess. I haven't got what I need here to stitch them, but I can bandage them." Aaron sat quietly, trying not to move much. "You don't have to be ashamed of these either, you know."

"What?" Aaron's breath was taken a little, shocked by what he had just said.

"Your cuts; we all go through rough patches, some handle it in different ways. This is a method of coping, I should know." He widened his eye as he spoke, continuing to dab the blood off the cuts. Aaron winced, feeling the stings shoot through his stomach. "I'm sorry, I cannot really be any gentler."

"Yeah I know, it's fine." Aaron thought for a second before releasing the bite on his lip. "No one has ever said that to me-about my cuts..."

"I'm guessing you have never spoken to anyone that really understands, have you?"

"I guess not...Thank you-I mean, for understanding." Robert just smiled; he was focusing on the wounds. He dabbed precisely, making sure he didn't get any blood on himself. He began on the next cut, getting a new ball of cotton wool. Aaron jerked his side a little, as this wound was more grievous than the other. Robert slipped and smeared Aaron's blood over the back of his hand. He looked at it, his pupils dilating a little. He seemed intoxicated, almost entranced, looking at it upon himself. Aaron fidgeted where he sat, apprehensive as he did not know what Robert was going to do. He may have said he wouldn't hurt him, but that was before he had the scent of his blood. "Rober-"

"-I have to go" Robert interjected, shifting to the door in an instant. He locked the door once again, but this time it was for him; he did not know exactly what he would do.

"Please don't lock me in! Come on!" Aaron shouted from the bed, not wanting to cause his cuts to push out blood.

"It is safer if you are locked in, to keep me out." Robert sounded gruff, clawing his hand into the frame. Aaron's eyes widened as he went silent. He heard Robert walk away, letting him swallow his heart back into his chest as it was forcing itself up his throat.

* * *

 

  


	2. Face amongst secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron is warned about Robert; he has many secrets to hide, but to what degree are they dangerous?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the ballroom section, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDuVQhVqtmc this is the song I was explaining. Give it a listen so you can better immerse yourself dears! :)

**A** aron stirred, cocking an eyebrow as he opened his eyes. The room was still shadowed, as the curtains were shut, leaving the glisten of the sun completely dampened. It wasn't too surprising that they were shut; thick blackout curtains, expected of a vampire residence. He sat up slightly, leaving his face to scrunch as the pain in his abdomen felt close to being stabbed repeatedly. Pushing his legs off the bed, Aaron held his gut and inhaled, sitting upright in an instance. He staggered the breath, letting the air seep through his lips slowly as he dealt with the pain from the sharp movement. With a heave, he managed to steady on his feet. Limping to the window, he drew back the curtains, feeling a warmth from the sun's rays. He looked down at his shirt again, rubbing the multiple stains of blood. He looked to the side, towards the curtains, whilst biting his lip. He pulled them shut again and went over to his bag. Rummaging around, he found the few sets of clothes he had stuffed at the bottom, under canisters of deodorant, folders of files from the scrapyard and some cheap tac that the creator was trying to pass off as some kind of shower gel, that he had bought from David's shop on the way out of town. He slipped on a loose fitting dark-grey t-shirt and grey joggers. He felt unnervingly at home, casually getting changed in a room that he was weirdly able to call his own. As he factored in the point of how big Home Farm was, he started to wrap his head around the prospect of his own room. With him being some kind of, trapped lodger. He drew back the curtains once more, leaving the room to absorb some much needed heat. The bare, colourless walls silently rejoiced as their neglected, dark state had finally come to an end. He went over to the door, realising only when he was there that Robert had locked it the night before. To his surprise, he turned the handle as it was unlocked. 

 

Robert glided around the kitchen, adding the finishing touches to the meal he had presented at the table. Aaron entered, gripping his stomach, trying to soothe the pain. He rose an eyebrow, rolling his lips downwards as he saw the English breakfast at the table: sausage, beans, hash brown, fried bread, bacon and an egg, deliciously dippy. "Hi..." Robert said, almost murmuring in guilt. He stood on the other side of table, with his body drooped, physically echoing his emotion. 

"What's this?" Aaron gestured with his hand, circling it in the general direction of the table.

"I feel awful for what happened last night; I locked you in, and I lost it, and I didn't even manage to properly help you. I promise you I would not have hurt you; I would never intentionally hurt a human, I am not like that. As for this," he continued in another breath, pointing at the fully prepared meal ahead "this is for you; peace offering?" Aaron eased himself into the seat, feeling momentarily relieved as the weight was lifted off his legs.

"I suppose this will do. But, do you have-" Robert blurred around the kitchen, appearing back at the table in that instance with brown sauce, tomato ketchup and even mayonnaise, just in case Aaron had some weird obsession with mayonnaise-dipped bacon strips. "brown sauce..." Aaron spoke slowly, bewildered by what had just occurred. "Well okay then." Robert sat down opposite, placing his cupped hands on the table, fiddling with his thumb as his tongue was being pulled, leaving him silent. Aaron shifted in his seat, leaving the internal claw to scratch away at him, making the cuts sting. "So what is the deal then, with you and her?" Robert looked up, mentally building a sentence as words were stumbling over themselves in his mouth.

"You mean Chrissie?"

"Yeah; is she a crazy ex you rubbed up the wrong way or something?"

"No, no--!" Robert spilled like a tipping jug, desperate to respond, as if he needed to prove himself to Aaron. "Nothing ever happened with her; I am just sadly stuck here with her, and her family."

"Her family?" Aaron sounded cautious. "How many are we talking here? Are they all, well you know," he nodded his head forward, speaking without word "well you know, right?"

"Her father and sister reside here with her; and yes they are both vampires as well, and both as messed up as she is."

"Great," Aaron shovelled half of the sausage into his mouth "if one wasn't bad enough, now there is three after me." His words were partially incoherent, as he spoke with his mouth full.

"None of them shall hurt you; I won't let them okay?" Aaron looked directly at Robert, slowing down the muscles in his jaw as he chewed, taken back by Robert. Aaron saw himself as a stranger to Robert, so him devoting his loyalty to him was foreign, especially since his own mother abandoned him. He wasn't use to anyone being this way with him. "And besides, they are not allowed to enter this side of the estate."

"How come?" Aaron continued eating, cutting the white of his egg into deformed squares.

"Since the fire, we have had an agreement; there was no way that a human could have made it out of the house, so we had to keep ourselves hidden, and stick to the illusion of us dying in the fire. Humans do not know about vampires, and it is best kept that way. The agreement stated that we all had to stay in this house; the terms were brutal because if any of us left, the remaining residence had the authority to call the Order, to drop a bounty on the head of whoever left."

"Wait, you're missing something out here, the Order? Who the hell are the Order?"

"The Order of Vampire hunters, otherwise known as the Drakurys. They are an elite group of hunters that go around hunting vampires; there is a reason that humans never have the chance to know about vampires, and that is mainly because we are a dying race. We do not really have any unity, and usually we live alone, so we get picked off, one-by-one. If I left, the Whites would have a bounty on my head, faster than I could reach the outskirts of Emmerdale."

"Wow..." A gasp escaped Aaron's mouth without him realising as he absorbed all that Robert was telling him. "It must be awful, having to stay here all the time. You must be bored."

"I've read every book from the library, five times over and any chance I had to write has been long lost now. It was the only way I was able to escape these walls, to immerse myself in a fictional reality. Some days are worse than others, but there is never a good day. I do have a small perk in the agreement; They are not allowed to enter this side of the estate. I was damned to this decaying pile of bricks without choice, so I had to have something they didn't. I can enter their side of the estate, if I wish, but I have no reason, nor intention to do so.

"I am sure you could do a runner, couldn't you? I doubt they could know if you left now."

"You are probably right, Aaron," he paused, taking a breath "but, a life of running and hiding is nowhere near better than a life of just hiding; I can at least relax here, even if I do not want to all the time. Anyway, the agreement is something for me to deal with, you don't need to know its ins and outs. How are your cuts?"

"They're alright..." Aaron put down the knife and fork and gently pressed his stomach, locking the pain behind his locked teeth.

"I do not know you that well, but I can tell that was a lie. Let me take a look at them." Aaron's pupils seemed to shrink with worry as he stared at Robert, suddenly hushed. "I promise you I won't lose it. Last night...it was the first time in years I had been that close to human blood, and with it on me, I had a moment of weakness. I am okay now though, you can trust me, Aaron." Robert's tone had lowered to something a lot softer. Robert picked up the chair and placed it next to Aaron, sitting down once again. Aaron seemed to be locked in position; he did not feel worried, just tense. Robert lifted his top, examining the cuts. "They are healing, slowly; you are going have to take it real easy though."

"Thank you for that observation, _Doctor Sugden_." Aaron quipped, laughing with himself, if not Robert as well. Robert shook his head a little, half-smiling. He gently stroked the cuts. Aaron shuddered, as he felt a shiver pinball around his stomach, and up into his chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry, forgot about the iciness of immortality." Robert said, but Aaron wasn't sure if he was happy about immortality, or if he said that to express his frustration for it. Robert had moved his torso forward, to closely examine each cut, individually, as he ran his hand over them. He was level with Aaron's head when he looked up. Robert felt Aaron's body heat radiating, as he was that close. Robert couldn't help but flicker his gaze between Aaron's eyes and lips, and any space in between them. His heart eased with relief when he saw Aaron doing the same, but his mind did not. Robert pushed himself away with his feet, taking a moment to recuperate. "I'm sorry." His voice was strained from his disheartened feeling. He fled from the room, gone within a millisecond. Aaron sighed, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip, before rolling it outwards along with his upper.

 

An hour had passed, Aaron did not really know what to do with himself. The strange perplexing concept of feeling at home came back to him; he wanted to just switch on the television and watch the footy, but he still felt as if that was intrusive. He had resulted to wandering around the living space of Robert's side of the estate, waving his phone around like a satellite, trying to find a signal in the transparent interference above. "You should not trust him, you know?" An icy voice said from behind, practically spitting out icicles. Aaron turned around, feeling his heart sink as he saw Chrissie.

"You are not allowed to be here, Robert told me about the agreement. He is around here; you best go." Aaron was shooting every threatening phrase he could think of, desperately trying to keep his voice from wobbling. He didn't want to show it, but he was petrified.

"Oh my, someone is shaking where they stand aren't they?" Her voice was light all of a sudden with a patronising tone. "Robert is not one to be trusted." She repeated her first statement, beginning to drill through the barrier around Aaron's mind. "He has _secrets_ ; secrets that I don't even know of, and I have shared this house with him for twelve years. Do you really want to befriend someone that has such a dark history?"

"How can you tell it is dark; you just told me he has not told you about them." Aaron spoke cautiously, not truly aware of her intentions. One thing was certain, she was starting to leave him apprehensive to trust Robert as well.

"True, he hasn't told me; but you have to think, how bad must the secrets be, if he is not willingly to tell anyone about them?" Chrissie walked around the back of the sofa, running her hand along the toughs of stuffing that was spewing out of the ripped seams. "If I was you, I'd run far away; leave this crumbling old place. Because honestly, how can you believe anything he has said so far? He is just like me, but he just doesn't want to admit it."

"Enough!" Robert appeared behind Chrissie, with a cruel slant about his eyes. "Leave, Chrissie, or I will make you. You know you cannot come to this side of the estate, or did you and your pathetic family forget the terms?"

"Oh they are fresh in my mind, but I really could not care less about a bunch of scribbles on paper. I was leaving anyway, my work is done-here." She flashed a glance at Aaron as she spoke, smirking to herself. She disappeared, as Robert approached Aaron. He stepped back responsively, causing Robert's face to drop.

"What's wrong? What did she say to you?"

"She said, uh-um, that you had secrets, do you?" Aaron sounded scrambled, he did not know who to believe and it was causing his head to ache.

"Of course I do, everyone does. I am pretty sure there is a lot that you keep hidden from people. I am correct, aren't I?" Aaron nodded, looking down, shameful as he was starting to teeter towards Chrissie's beliefs.

"Yes I have secrets..." Robert cast his mind back; 2003 was the year. He was involved with man; they started talking in the Woolpack, they had a few drinks and escalated beyond talking rather rapidly. Robert had recently been turned; the smell of blood funnelled around his nose constantly, and resisting urges left him weak. Despite his hardened organs, he was still not free of the intoxication of alcohol. They left the Woolpack, and found themselves in the woods around the western side of the village. They were being playful, stupid and young, with the gentleman running off into the woods. Robert chased him, phasing in and out of super speed, luckily out of the man's sight. Robert jumped him; they both chuckled as they playfully tussled with each other. Robert pinned the man against a tree, rolling his tongue over the inside of his bottom lip. Kissing him, left Robert dangerously intimate. His head was wild from the deafening sound of the man's heart thumping. Robert felt the blood coursing through his veins in his wrist as he had hold of them, up high above his head. Restraint fled him, and it happened...without a second thought, Robert's fangs ripped through his gums and he dived, sinking them deeply into the man's neck. He was too drunk to realise what was happening, thinking it was nothing more than a love bite, despite it being in the literal sense of a bite. The man's skin began to transition to pale from head-to-toe as Robert drained lethal amounts of blood from him. Robert removed himself, but it was to late, the lifeless corpse was only standing due to Robert's grip around his wrists. Robert retreated, his face disfigured with horror as he watched the body flop and smack against the roots of the tree. He knew it was not over; he had been told that no human could know about vampires. This body would have been found eventually, along with the marks in his neck that could not be explained as anything else. Robert picked up the body and took it away, burning it into nothingness, letting the ashes of his biggest regret simply disperse in the wind. This did act as an un-welcomed wake up call, as he began to train himself, to deny the craving of human blood. To this day he thinks about it, even if most days it is a fleeting thought. He killed an innocent human, because he could not control himself whilst being so close. He vouched to never let it happen again, and it has left him scared to get close to anyone else. "But you do not need to concern yourself with them. They are my burdens, not yours." Robert had been staring ahead, reliving that night, before coming back to himself in the present. "You won't have to worry about being around here for much longer either; I'm trying to find you a safe way out, so you can slip under the radar, and never have to deal with me or my kind again." Robert knew there was something much bigger he was keeping from Aaron, but looking at him, so innocent and unknowing, he thought it was best to remain that way.

"But what-" Before Aaron could finish, Robert had already vanished, nothing more than a blur along one of the gloomy, abandoned halls.

 

The day progressed, Aaron was starting to go insane, he did not know how Robert had coped with this place for so long. He was feeling a little grotty for questioning Robert so far earlier. He knew he came across a little abrupt, and slightly hostile, in a defensive way. Getting a signal was a lost cause, as radio waves seemed to fly around Home Farm, but not through it. Aaron had resorted to exploring the rest of the house; it was massive, he had been venturing down the halls for half an hour and they still seemed endless. Something caught his attention, a faint, blurred echo of a song playing. He zig-zagged down the hall, pressing his ear along the walls, trying to source the sound, or at least hear it a little louder, to know he was on the correct path. He came to the end of the hall, and was met with two paths, to either side of him. The option was clear; to the right was another hall, to the left, all that was left of a hall, a collapsed floor, leaving the brittle supports underneath on show. Aaron wandered down the right hall, finally starting to hear the song a little louder. At the end of the hallway, the path appeared to be an upper balcony of some kind of ballroom. It was grand in size, and seemed oddly well kept. Aaron dipped hiding behind the wall of the balcony. He peered over, seeing Robert below; he was standing in the centre, head lowered as the music was playing in the background. Aaron couldn't make any of it out, he believed it to be French, but everyone back home knew how terrible he was at any language but his own. Aaron jolted a little as Robert made a sudden move, appearing next to the stereo. He pressed a button, and the song began again. It started off quiet, and heavily blurred, but started to ramp in volume and began to gain clarity. Robert took position, pointing his right toe as he held his arms out in front of him, bent at the elbow, as if he was holding someone. The beats of the song began and so did Robert. He rose his arms, bouncing off his left leg into a spin. It was hard for Aaron to keep up with a dancer's movements anyway but Robert was a human blur, hopping onto his right toes and then his left, continuing to pirouette after every bounce. He stopped spinning and extended is right leg as he leaned down on his bent left knee, stretching outwards. He drew his right leg around in a crescent, whilst stepping down on the heel of his left foot. He met his right leg with his left, keeping it extended. He rested for no more than a second before pushing up on his left leg, elevating himself. His right leg was still in the air, along with his arms extended. As he stepped with his right foot, he pushed his torso, flipping forward off his right leg, and then landing on it again. He moved backwards on his side, making a tight, yet fast pirouette before extending his left leg outwards, and meeting it beside his head. He took hold of it with his hands, making one more spin, before landing gracefully in a splits. Aaron gasped, feeling his breath dissipate as Robert landed. His direct mind made him wonder how painful it must of been to land on his _parts_. Aaron stumbled a little, knocking over a small pot that was on the floor of the balcony. It was cluttered ahead with old books, dead plant pots and old furniture, that Aaron presumed use to be in room below. It did not go unnoticed, Robert heard the disturbance. Within a blink, the music had been shut off and the ballroom was without human life once again; the dust, already beginning to settle where Robert had been moving.

 

It was dark out, Aaron did not really know how he had kept himself somewhat entertained for most of the day. He already feared the day after as he wouldn't have anywhere to explore, to waste away half the day. He was ready to rest, his chest had been throbbing all day; eventually he had become accustomed to it so he was able to continue exploring in less pain. However, he was tired, and the pain was back with a vengeance. Aaron was admitting defeat for tonight, heading back to his room, when he stopped by one. He had approached his room from a different hallway on this occasion. He could tell it was on Robert's side of the estate, so he knew it could only be him inside. Red flags waved about in his head when he heard sobbing from on the other side of the door. Aaron curled his fingers into a fist, ready to knock, but hesitated. He did not know much about Robert, he did not understand his emotions, or how they worked. He mentally cursed, as he knew he'd probably regret this. With a bite of his lip, Aaron knocked, opening the door, not giving Robert a chance to respond. "Robert?" Aaron spoke close to a whisper.

"What are you doing in here!" Robert roared, causing Aaron to fall back a little as he turned.

"Robert...your eyes..." As Robert had turned, Aaron saw tears falling from Robert's eyes, but they were like none he had seen before. Thick, scarlet droplets fell. A stream was running from each eye, travelling down his cheeks and dripping off the sides of his face.

"Get out!" Robert's voice was rumbling, but his eyes were weak, rattled by fear and heart-wrenching guilt.

"Robert I just wanted to see if you are okay; what is wrong! Your eyes..." Aaron could not focus on anything else, other than the overflowing torrents of blood pouring from his tear ducts.

"I said," Robert stood up, speeding forward so he was just ahead of Aaron "get out!" He thoughtlessly pushed against his stomach, leaving him to fly backwards, slamming into the wall of the hallway. Aaron yelped out in pain, as his cuts ripped open in all their glory, spitting out blood. Robert snapped back, looking at Aaron in distress, as he slowly tried to sit himself up, but kept crumbling back to the floor. "Aaron!" Robert ran over to him, sitting him up and placing one of his hands around the back of his neck. "Aaron, can you hear me?" He shouted in fear, with his eyes consumed  by terror. Robert lifted up Aaron's top, making his mouth droop in horror. "Oh my-hang on Aaron, I'll fix this." His words were heavy, as the bounced out the bottom of his mouth.

"No, just-don't, no..." Aaron sounded breathless, as he was only managing to let single words dribble out of his mouth. Robert disregarded what he said, hoisting him up into his arms. He dashed off with Aaron; usually it would have affected Aaron but his vision was already impaired and his stomach was in too much agony to let the sensation of spinning bother him. They appeared in Aaron's room; Robert lowered him to the bed, resting his head on the pillow. He pulled up the bottom of his top again, gagging as the cuts were still bleeding. He wiped his face clean, as the tears of blood were only causing him inconvenience.

"Hold on Aaron!" Robert dashed off. Even thought he was back within seconds, Aaron was already starting to slip in and out of consciousness. "Stay with me Aaron!" Robert looked at the medical supplies he had, before slatting them to the floor. He looked down at his hands, then over at Aaron's pouring cuts.  He bent down, over Aaron, looking at his eyes as they began to roll. "You are going to be okay, Aaron." He was speaking in a whisper, watery; he spoke aloud, but was really only speaking to himself, reassuring his state of mind that he would not kill another innocent human because he could not control his emotions. He placed his hands on Aaron's chest. Robert closed his eyes; as he opened them again, they flashed a bright celestial blue before returning yellow. As they did, Robert hunched, his body gripped by excruciating pain. He grit his teeth, but moans broke through, causing him to wail into the air. As this was happening, the cuts on Aaron's chest began to shrink in length and depth. The blood was in a reverse motion, travelling back into Aaron's cuts. Smaller cuts had already disappeared, with Aaron's soft skin fully formed. A naked eye would question if he actually had a cut there or not. The larger cuts got half way, before stopping. Robert exhaled deeply, feeling his lungs deflating. He took in a mighty gasp of air, and took a firmer hold of Aaron's stomach, causing the more grievous wounds to continue healing. Robert's shirt was starting to dampen with deep-red splotches over the stomach area. The wounds had closed, leaving Aaron's chest free of his scars, and any blood that was seeping from them. Robert wrapped his fingers over his stomach, choked by the pain. He pushed himself to his feet, seeing that Aaron had passed out. He was still breathing, and sounded peaceful, letting Robert ease his stress. Somehow, even through all this pain, Robert managed to smile, knowing Aaron was safe. He stroked Aaron's cheek, rubbing his dimple with his thumb. "You'll be okay--Aaron." He coughed in between speaking, as the pain he felt was punching against his esophagus. He stammered out of the room, shutting it to after himself, leaving it unlocked.

* * *

   


	3. A secret revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert took drastic action, but will Aaron find out about it? A secret is revealed; what will Aaron make of it?

**A** aron sat up, stretching himself, pleasantly shocked as he felt no pain in his abdomen. He frantically pulled back his shirt, eyes falling wide as he gasped to see his stomach was clear, scar-free. Assumptions were fogging his mind; the night before was vague after Robert unintentionally attacked him. Had he finally stitched his wounds, had he used some supernatural ability to heal him? Aaron's reality had been thrown into a whirlwind so he began to consider every possibility. Clambering to his feet, he rushed to the door, already embracing the freedom from his limp.

 

Robert was in the kitchen, limping around, using the surface tops as supports. He clutched his stomach, gritting his teeth as he moved. He heard a commotion from behind, along with a couple of footsteps, causing him to release his hold on his stomach. He took a deep breath, attempting to fill out his lungs, so they over-crowded his chest, to leave little space for the internal pain he felt. Aaron walked in, looking over at Robert. Pain was clenching its hands around his throat, leaving his words trapped. Aaron was of two minds; he did not know whether to listen to whatever Robert was going to say, or to just lash out at him. He sat himself down, still surveying Robert with his probing pupils. He seemed,  _off_ _;_ not trying to apologise, nor move. Robert stood against the surface tops, secretly taking the pressure off his feet so his stomach didn't feel so exerted. He took another breath, pushing the tightening grip of pain off for a few moments. "Aaron I am-" Robert felt his stomach clenching, locking up to deny the pain entrance. He staggered forward, causing Aaron to alert, with both concern and fear. He loosened his hold on the knife and fork, leaning back in the chair.

"Robert are you-" Before he could finish, he found himself jolting forward to catch Robert who was plummeting forward towards the floor. "Robert," his voice was loud, with worry "what is wrong?" He was speaking with haste, starting to increase his volume, frustrated as he did not know what to do.

"It's noth-ing; I just need-rest." Robert was exhausted; the anguish he felt had drained him entirely.

"Robert, you're a vampire, I really do not think you  _just need rest_." Aaron may not have believed in the folklore, but it did not mean he didn't read it. So for a being of the night to say he needed sleep, he was left boggled. Aaron was struck by some kind of harpoon of fear as he looked down at Robert's shirt. Painted in a dull-red around the stomach area. "Robert-show me your stomach." His voice was low, quietened with dread.

"It's nothing; just let me go lie down." Robert's voice was sloppy, leaving words to slip around his gums.

"Robert, for god sake let me see your," Aaron roared, lifting up Robert's shirt "chest..." It was like some kind of, twisted human mirror for Aaron; seeing the cuts he once homed on Robert's stomach. Blood was oozing from the deep cuts; blood from the cuts at the top was seeping over lower cuts, causing them to constantly sting. Aaron knew his cuts were severe but he could not quite remember them ever being this deadly. "What did you do?" Aaron chided, angry with Robert but for all the wrong reasons.

"What, did you think I was just going to let you die, because of me?" Robert lashed back, within a second, causing him to groan in pain. "I caused them to open again-Aaron; you did not deserve to-deal with them." He wanted to keep explaining himself but his voice was starting to become breathy due to his lack of oxygen. The pain was siphoning it away, causing him to suck in air, a lot more often than usual. Aaron was a-gasp; this man before him took all this pain away from him, without a second thought. Aaron was quickly going from no one really caring about him, to someone willing to almost sacrifice his life for him.

"Come on." Aaron put Robert's arm around his shoulder, bending at the knee, to level his height with Robert.

"I can manage-"

"No, you are going to let me help you, end of." Robert looked into Aaron's eyes, seeing determination rolling around the edges of his pupils. "We are going to lift on three, yeah?" Robert nodded, his eyes subduing to a deep soft yellow, almost green. "Three-two-one!" Aaron pushed on his feet, following the upward movement throughout his body, to make up for Robert's respectable lack of strength. They were to their feet, but wobbling tremendously; Robert was a lot heavier than Aaron anticipated. They made slow movement, so Aaron could make sure Robert wasn't exerting himself too much; he knew from personal experience that his cuts were a massive burden.

 

They made it to Robert's room. By this point, Robert was sagging; his knees were buckling and Aaron was struggling to uphold him. Robert was not obese, but his tall figure caused his bone structure to carry quite a hefty amount of weight. Aaron barged the door with his shoulder, clicking it out of the frame, following that with a gentle boot to fly it open. He lowered himself, gently lying Robert on his bed. "I'm going to uh-get some supplies. I uh-" Aaron was rubbing his forehead; he was told he would have caused the person to suffocate when they had the CPR workshop at school, so doing first aid left him feeling frantically worried.

"Aaron, I'll be fine. Like you said," he coughed, gritting his teeth as it caused his stomach to throb as he exhaled "I am a vampire." Aaron walked back, furrowing his brow as his lips were ajar a little, lost. "My body heals itself; their is perks to immortality, believe it or not. Usually my healing kicks in a lot faster, and more prominent, but when I transfer pain, I have to endure amplified pain for longer. The healing process is a lot slower as well."

"Wait, transfer pain? It has a name, as if you do this all the time?" Aaron was embodying every sense of the word, baffled; this was all new, further altering his perception on what was real and fake.

"Not all the time; mainly because I don't have a reason to. When I saw you, lying unconscious-because of _me_." He spat out that last word, disgusted with himself. "I had to relieve you of the pain; I deserve it anyway, after all I have put you through already: being off with you, keeping you here, attacking you last night..."

"Hang on a minute," Aaron sat on the end of the bed, looking at Robert with a softness close to cotton. "You are a vampire, and the only time you were cold with me directly was when you came into contact with my blood. I think its to be expected after not being in contact with another's blood for so long, don't you? I still don't quite understand why, but you said I need to stay here for my own protection; if I did not believe you, I would be trying to escape hourly, wouldn't I? Last night...you were upset, about something and I intruded, without even giving you a chance to tell me otherwise. That was my fault, not yours."

"Why are you trying to justify all that I have done wrong? I am a bad person Aaron! I might not be like Chrissie, but that does not by any means make me a saint." Robert was raising his voice, but he was not quite sure why. He did not know how to interpret all that Aaron was saying; mixed signals were entangling in his mind.

"I, I don't know why...it's just.." Aaron edged forward a little, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip as he tamed his desire. "You are not a bad person; you have saved me three times now."

"Yeah, when one of those times was because of me, don't you get it?" Robert was wild with emotions; he could sense Aaron was feeling something, but Robert knew that desire would make this situation a lot more complex. His past was sitting on his shoulder blades as well, causing him to react coldly, wanting to push Aaron away, to _save_ him, so he thought.

"But then you almost risked your life to save me; because I'll be honest, those cuts opening up again was one notch away from lethal. A bad person would not have done what you did, don't _you_ get it?" Aaron intentionally reiterated Robert, looking at him firmly. Robert looked down into his lap, feeling nervous as Aaron had moved a lot closer during this time. Images flashed in his mind's eye, making the fine hairs on his arms stand on end. "Whatever is causing you to stay so closed off, I shall respect; but that does not mean I am just going to leave you here to toss in pain." Robert looked at Aaron, who had a little sympathetic half-smile gracing his face. "Is there anything I can get you? Do you have some kind of, I dunno," he rolled his lips inwards, not really knowing how to word it "some kind of back up?"

"Back up?" Robert cocked an eyebrow, smirking as he gently held his stomach.

"You know, where you keep blood?" Aaron rubbed his palms together, looking at Robert with a stare that he could not quite describe himself.

"Well I don't drink it through slushy cups like Twilight you know? Unless you want to go hunting pheasants for me, there is not much you can bring me."

"So you drink animal blood- _like Twilight?_ You cliché" Aaron quipped.

"What?" Robert gasped, unable to hide a smile as he watched Aaron laughing aloud.

"Proclaiming your life-style isn't like Twilight, but then telling me you are some kind of vegetarian vampire, just like Twilight."

"Well uh..."

"Exactly," Aaron spoke, finalising the petty argument "you have nothing to come back with." They both looked at each other for a moment, before quietly laughing amongst themselves. Aaron felt some deepened desire for Robert; it had been creeping its way to the front of his mind for the past couple of days. He knew something was holding Robert back, so he kept his feelings to himself. Robert looked over Aaron, his eyes close to a shade of pure green as he was so smitten. He felt disappointed in himself, along with feeling sorry for Aaron. He had not shown any signs, but Robert knew Aaron felt something. Robert could not trust himself with anyone else, not yet at least. "So, can I get you anything to keep you occupied? A book maybe--" Aaron clenched his face as he spoke, trying to trap the words in his mouth before he made a fool of himself."

"Sure," Robert snickered "I'll give them all a sixth read over."

"Here," Aaron took out his phone, the _tch_ of it unlocking echoing around the room "have a look on here." Aaron opened up his _iBooks_ application and handed the phone to Robert. "I am sure there will be something on here that you haven't read before." Aaron was perched on the edge of the bed at this point, still close. Robert did not know what to focus on more; Aaron's act of kindness or remaining restrained from making a move on him.

"I can't." Robert sounded deflated, as if those two words were the last he could let fall from his mouth.

"Why not, it is just a phone?" As Aaron said this, he pushed the phone closer.

"It is your phone, I could not just take it off you like this." Robert's eyes kept flickering between Aaron's and the phone. Aaron sighed; afterwards he grabbed Robert's hand, opening it and planting the phone in his palm. As he did, Robert felt a thousand tiny sparks jolting through his nerves. Aaron's direct touch was unlike anything he had experienced. His hands were a lot softer than Robert had imagined, countless amounts of times these past few days. Aaron was feeling something too, but he kept his reactions shielded, for Robert's sake more than his own.

"Robert, you are not taking it off me okay? I want you to make use of it. I cannot get a signal around here anyway, so it is pretty much useless for my needs at the moment. No point me keeping it on me if it is not going to work. Please, just make use of it. I am sure there is still areas in this massive place that I have not explored. I will come back later alright?" Aaron had a distinct softness in his voice that Robert felt overjoyed about, deep down. Robert just nodded, falsely distracting himself with Aaron's phone whilst secretly watching Aaron leave.

 

A few hours had past, Robert had immersed into a land of fiction; lost down the winding back alley's of London, as he followed Inspector Haringston, who was trying to make a chain of murders add up. It had been a while since Robert had felt separated from Home Farm, and it felt good. He was shot down, out of his second reality as he saw a notification for a message on Aaron's phone. Signal must have just pulled through for a few fleeting seconds. He had hoped he'd read it wrong, but sadly he hadn't. After tapping on the notification, Robert saw the message was from _Adam Barton_. The second name left his skin feeling cold, despite it already being a frigid temperature. A lifetime flashed in that exact moment as he acknowledged the name again. Robert exhaled a hefty breath, closing his eyes as he thought about his next action; he knew it was wrong, but his illusion of defending Aaron from the truth rung loud once again. With a press of a button, the message was gone, no traces left. With his radial hearing, Robert heard the steps of someone approaching, knowing it was only one person. He returned to the book he was reading, scrolling downwards frantically to get to the bit he was reading. Hiding the truth was something Robert was sadly a master at, leaving no doubts in Aaron's mind once he entered the room. "Hey, how are you doing, the cuts?" Aaron was scratching the back of his head; on his second exploration, he had developed a feeling of guilt himself.

"I'm doing fine; I think I might of seized up, but the pain from the cuts isn't as severe now." Robert rose an eyebrow, scanning Aaron's body, seeing some kind of tension holding him. "Are you okay, something seems to be bothering you?"

"You're perceptive aren't you?" Aaron sat down on the edge of the bed, interlocking his fingers as he stared ahead. "It's just-this wouldn't be happening if it wasn't because of me and my stupidity. I mean," he turned his head to look at Robert, pointing towards his stomach "the cuts; if I did not have them, you wouldn't have done-whatever it was you did. I am still not sure entirely how you did it."

"Look," Robert sat up, wincing as he moved from his statue-like position "this isn't your fault, not at all. This is all on me; you need to retrace back to you even being here, that is because of me. If you want anyone to blame, blame me, not yourself." Aaron forced his lips into a quarter-smile, hazed in a state of self-reflection. He returned to staring ahead, rubbing his index finger with his other. "And," Robert continued, cautiously placing a hand on Aaron's shoulder, in case he interpreted it for more than it was "what you did to yourself, it was not stupid. Our methods of coping change to fit each person. Do not feel stupid for what you have done-and do not feel ashamed of it." Aaron turned to look at Robert, with his entire torso this time. He kept messing with his fingers, feeling something clogging his throat as he thought, getting trapped in the sclera of Robert's eyes.

"About the self-harming," he took a breath, seeing a hint of change in Robert's expression already "I noticed, a couple days back, you had cuts on your wrists?" Robert had already sunk his stare into his lap. Aaron felt intrusive, taking a quick breath to continue. "If you do not want to talk about them, I understand; I hardly ever want to talk about my cuts...They do not remind me of good times, to say the least." Aaron was left a little confused as Robert turned his back. He began to realise, he had offended Robert.

"Lift my shirt." Aaron's brow furrowed as his lips fell ajar. He took hold of Robert's shirt and slid it out of his trousers. As he saw his back, Aaron's eyes widened, almost double the size they normally were, width wise. Dozens, upon dozens of lengthy scars, horizontal, vertical and diagonal in places.

"Robert I didn't know, I'm-"

"I know; but to be fair, you could not have known." Robert turned back around once Aaron let go of his shirt. Aaron pieced together a couple of new found facts in his reality.

"Wait, didn't you say you heal over time? They should have cleared up by now, right?" Aaron spoke with a lot of caution, not wanting to dive into anything else that he did not fully know.

"They would have-if they weren't so deep. I was never able to do it; every time I tried to. My life was all over the place, the world felt dead to me, and I felt dead to it, so it would not have made a difference."

"Wait, you tried to- _end_ yourself?" Aaron's tone dropped, the thought of it was like a punch to his gut." Robert nodded, returning his stare to his lap, disappointed in himself.

"It scares me, being alone, and this life, is loneliness amplified. You should not have to listen to all of this, its pointless ramble that you don't need to concern-" He was cut off as his body was thrown into a slide of tingles due to Aaron pressing against him in a hug. In that moment, Robert felt something he hadn't felt in twelve years. He felt at home. No one had been there for him, no one had cared. It was tricky, as the only people that could was the other three inhabitants that he reluctantly had to share the estate with. Aaron retracted himself, leaving a fleeting urge in Robert to pull him close again, but he knew this was dangerous. Aaron looked at Robert, breathing air out of his cheeks.

"No one, should have to go through what you have. I am so sorry." Aaron spoke with the usual gruff he had, but Robert could still feel the sincerity. Robert was wild with emotions. With a snap in his restraint, his walls fell down; he threw his torso forward, cupping Aaron's cheek as he smashed his lips against Aaron's. They tasted so soft and untouched, making Robert even more desperate. His mind was firing signals to retreat, that were only being diverted by the pulsing aura of his heart. It was beating so fast, almost deafening as it echoed around his body, causing his dormant, cold space inside to ignite. Robert moved his other hand up to cup Aaron's other cheek. His stomach stung but he didn't care; this moment was everything for him, and he did not want to let it go. Robert relaxed his shoulders as he felt Aaron cup his hand around his neck. He wanted this too, leaving Robert feeling safer. Their tongues tackled, almost wrapping together in desperation for each other. Aaron made a move, pushing against Robert with his body weight, lying him down. Aaron sprawled himself over Robert, clutching his hair, getting lost in the moment. His senses were on fire, burning with the passion he felt; logic and correctness was subdued, buried beneath the passion. Aaron re-positioned himself, to place kisses on Robert's cheek, slowly going down towards his neck. Aaron had moved his arms down, embracing Robert's figure as he began kissing his neck. Robert ran his hands down Aaron's cheeks, locking them behind his neck, so he could pull him closer. His body heat left him crazed. The sound of his blood was beginning to shake in Robert's earlobes. The moment was inevitably going to end; a stray brainwave broke through the deflective barricade of Robert's heart, causing him to see the situation for what it was. Robert unlocked his fingers, placing his hands on Aaron's arms to steady himself. Aaron retracted his head, the fluff of his crown ruffled by rubbing against Robert's chin as he got lost in his neck. "What's wrong?" Aaron sounded breathless; being freely consumed in this moment had him forgetting to breathe regularly.

"This is too much; I can't, I'm sorry." Aaron drew himself off Robert, sitting back on his leg.

"Oh..." Robert took a breath, as guilt began to bubble in his throat like some kind of acid, as it felt as if his throat was burning away.

"Aaron let me just explain-" He was reaching for Aaron, but he retracted himself before Robert could finish.

"No it's okay; my mistake for going through with this." He stood up heading for the door, before turning his head back for a moment. "I should have known there was some rule against humans doing anything with vampires." Aaron left the room, slamming the door behind himself. Robert lowered back into the bed, mentally cursing to himself. He wanted to tell him, and with what he just felt, he needed to, as he did not want to lose it. He placed his head on the pillow, rolling onto his side. Aaron had left his phone in the room; Robert flipped it in between his hands, imagining Aaron's face in his head.

* * *

 


	4. A reoccurring nightmare?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert's ultimate fear is revealed, which scares him even more with Aaron around. A side of vulnerability and emotion is revealed in Robert when protecting Aaron, that Aaron has never seen first hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for this being a day late! I had it all written out yesterday, I just had to proof read. But, then my laptop decided to force its update, without asking me so it restarted, and I lost everything vuv'...

**R** obert catapulted between roof tops, in a scene that was unfamiliar to him. He shot up high between each roof, but landed like the fall of a feather. His fangs were extended, gleaming as rays from the naked moon bounced against them. They were the only visible feature in his blackened silhouette. His fringe was flat, flailing around as the high-speed winds blew through it. As is pushed to the side, his eyes were revealed; a blood-thirsty red, glowing with hunger. He was in pursuit of someone, hearing the sound of their heart beating out of their chest. Whoever they were, they were agile, slipping down narrow walk ways, staying away from main roads, trying to shake Robert. Despite their feral dexterity, Robert was relentless. He took a final jump, leaping off his right leg, pushing him even further than before. He landed just ahead of his prey, in a wide alleyway. The man stumbled backwards on his feet, his pupils shrinking as Robert hung over him. "Robert, please, you told me you weren't like this!" The brunette-haired human begged, misplacing his feet, causing him to trip. He continued to crawl backwards, desperate to save himself from the inevitable. Robert took a step closer, his eyes seeming to burn with the intense glow that was surrounding them.

"You should have listened to Chrissie, Aaron. I am just like her, if not worse." Robert smirked, before gnashing his teeth. His voice was decrepit, but every word still managed to cut as sharp as a razor. He threw himself forward in a dive.

"Robert!" The last thing Robert saw was the innocence upon Aaron's face, as he could see his life flashing in his eyes. Robert shot up, wincing as his stomach stung, punishing him for the sudden movement. He was about to let it out in a grunt, but instead captured it in a gasp, letting out a breath. Looking ahead, he realised he was in his room; it was mostly lost in shadows, but he could still recognise it. He sat back, taking another breath to calm himself. Strands of his fringe were stuck to his forehead from his sweat, like a weak adhesive. Robert wiped them away, following with his other hand, to dab his forehead. As he did, he began to recollect what he had dreamt. The same recurring nightmare, killing an innocent without remorse. The nightmare-of becoming blood-crazed. Robert was petrified of the prospect. It was even worse this time though; usually the figure he is hunting is faceless, nothing more than a silhouette. Seeing himself hunting Aaron, only made him more scared, in case the dream ever became reality. It was only at this point that Robert realised Aaron was asleep in a chair beside the bed. Seeing him pulled a smile up Robert's cheeks; he looked so innocent when he was asleep. Robert dared to think he looked rather cute as well, even with his mouth open wide, letting snores spit into the air. Robert shuffled a little closer, hesitant. He subdued his worry, slipping his hand into Aaron's, stroking the back of it. His snoring was interrupted by a couple of snorts, before his eyelids began to flicker. He looked around the room, his eyes as slits, as his brow was furrowed, looking stern. His vision caught Robert, causing him to relax his face and pop a smile upon it. He looked down at their joined hands, feeling a flutter in his heart.

"Hiya." Robert whispered, his voice softer than silk as he was still partially asleep himself.

"Hi." Aaron sat up in the chair, intertwining his fingers with Robert's. "How are you? With the cuts?"

"I've felt better, but they are slowly healing. They are just stinging at the moment; nothing I can't live with though. How are you? I'm surprised you are even here, considering how cold I suddenly was last night." Robert lowered his head a little, shameful over his previous actions.

"Well," Aaron looked up, mindful, scrunching his face as he thought of something witty to say "I remembered that you still had my phone, that's all. I came back to get it, which was tricky as you had fallen asleep with it locked in your hand, funnily with a picture of me on the screen from my camera roll." Aaron laughed lightly as he could see Robert chuckling, even with his head drooped.

"Oh I see; sorry about that...And about last night. It's just, it was-"

"A little too much?" Aaron finished. Robert nodded, taking a breath.

"I am not ready, not yet. It was getting a little out of control. My head was going wild, and I didn't know where it was going to go. I am really sorry..." He squeezed Aaron's hand as he apologised. Aaron placed his other hand over Roberts, squeezing them back, trying to reassure him.

"I overreacted a little too; I already knew there was something holding you back, which is fine. I had been respecting it, but last night, I just lost myself."

"Aaron, I hope you remember I was the one that  _initiated_ last night; that was all on me. Don't blame yourself for it. I just can't do that yet."

"Yeah, I get you." Aaron nodded his head, whilst looking into his lap, hiding how disheartened he felt.

"But," Robert placed his hand on Aaron's cheek, to lift his head back up "I do enjoy your company, and whatever  _this_ is that we have. Just give me time." His touch was frigid-cold, but had never felt so warm. Aaron smiled, with his heart upon his lips, moving a hand up to place on Robert's, stroking the space in between his finger and thumb.

"Is there anything I can get you? And before you say it," Aaron put his index finger up, warning Robert as he saw him starting to smirk "I am not going to go and catch you a pheasant or something."

"Well, considering this menu is very limited," Robert's smirk grew wider as he saw Aaron's brow furrowing, along with his bottom lip curling a little, causing his dimples to slightly show "I will just have a glass of water."

"A glass of water it is." Aaron got up, heading out of the door. Robert's face was bright with a half-smile, along with his eyes melting to mellow shade of daisy-yellow.

 

Downstairs felt a lot more ghostly and cold as Aaron wandered around, and it already felt abandoned, even when Robert was roaming around down there. Aaron moved through the living space into the kitchen, standing in doorway, considering which cupboard the glasses would be in. He checked the ones attached to the walls. The first was filled with a load of cleaning products and general kitchen utensils. Aaron shrugged with his face, as clumps of dust was attached to a lot of the contents by fine silk, woven by some invading spider. Aaron shut the cupboard, moving onto the next, relieved as it had Robert's collection of glasses. They were a fine set; three rows of rich looking wine tumblers, which were hiding a set of normal drinking glasses, crammed towards the back of the cupboard. Aaron delicately ran his hand in between the tumblers, locking his hand around a glass and carefully weaved it in between the others. He filled it up and began heading back to the staircase. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Chrissie leaning against the door frame that led into her side of the estate. "Hello there." She looked over at him, slyly smiling. "Is that for Robert?" Despite her inquisitive nature, her tone just sounded patronising. "Not feeling well is he?"

"What are you doing here? Back off, this isn't your side of the estate!" Aaron was growling at her, bluffing his ever-growing fear, that was creeping up his spinal cord.

"Oh," Chrissie stepped into the foyer, her heels clacking against the brittle floorboards, that creaked in neglected ache, louder in certain places "gained some strength have we?" Chrissie lurched her head forward, causing Aaron to flinch, making his mask crumble. "Thought not." She crossed her arms, looking at her foot as she took another step, before looking up to glare at Aaron with her passively intimidating pupils. As she took that one step forward, Aaron took one back, wanting to keep the distance between them. "I am sick of you swanning around this place, as if you own it or something, or other. I'm here to make sure you don't after today. Your little Sugden isn't here to protect you, is he? So you're all mine!" Chrissie had only made the slightest of movements forward, before feeling herself rushing in another direction. Robert had appeared in an instance, barging his shoulder into her. She steadied herself, leaving her to only lightly clap into the door. Robert stood hunched, trying to keep the pain locked behind his clenched teeth. His cuts were bleeding once again, as he was exerting himself.

"Leave him alone, Chrissie!" His words were spaced, but he still attempted to come across just as aggressive as usual. Chrissie smirked, bending her torso, to be level with Robert, as he was a lot shorter when hunched.

"Oh dear Robert, you've had better days. I'd like to see you stop me from getting to him honestly." With a clunk of her head, she travelled forward, like a clap of lightning. As she arrived in front of Robert, she pivoted on her leg, extending her other backwards so her heel drove into Robert's face. His focus was split, trying to manage the pain, whilst keeping track of Chrissie. Robert flew backwards, but Chrissie was already in pursuit of him, not finished just yet. Whilst in travel, Chrissie grabbed the hair's on the back of his head, throwing him to the side, making him crash into the wall just to the right of the staircase. As he made contact, plastered cracked, along with a few pieces exploding off the wall. Robert gasped as the agony asphyxiated him. He felt breathless as he started to gag for air. Chrissie turned to face Aaron, with her eyebrows arched, ready to strike. Aaron instinctively threw the glass at her, but she simply knocked it away, causing it to smash against the floor near the door. "Really?" She huffed, with her head tilted a little. Robert managed to pull air through his lips as he looked at Aaron with his blurred vision. He closed his eyes; as he opened them again, they flashed a celestial-blue, as they had done before. Once they returned to normal, a translucent energy exploded from his forehead, expanding in size. It travelled much faster than Chrissie, causing her to bounce off some kind of barrier that was now enveloping Aaron. His brow was deeply furrowed with confusion, along with his lips being slightly ajar as she pinged away from him. She threw a couple of punches along with a kick of her heel, before realising. Turning to face Robert, her lips were pouted, whilst her eyes were thin, as simmering rage was filling her face, forehead downwards. Usually projecting his barrier did not have any repercussions, but in his already current weak state, it was causing blood to trickle from his tear ducts. "It is that pathetic ability you have, isn't it?" She spoke down to him, belittling what he was doing. "Look at you, in this much pain, for nothing more than a worthless mortal!"

"He's-worth it..." His voice was light, as air was draining from his lungs at a dangerously accelerated rate. Aaron's throat locked as he felt his heart pulsing. Robert was willingly putting himself through all this pain, just to protect him. A feeling he had never experience before slipped into his heart; the feeling of being wanted by someone.

"You were always a disgrace to what you are. A vampire, that cares about humans, tch." Chrissie laughed in an exhale, placing her heel on Robert's chest. His eyes were scrunched, along with his face being disfigured by the severity of his pain. He tried to push her foot away, but his arms felt limp. "Getting an ability like that, all because you loved someone. And now look at you, doing all this again, just because you love someone, pathetic." This only caused more questions to orbit around Aaron's cranium. One thing was for certain in his mind, he was starting to seriously fall for that blond immortal lying against a wall, and someone was hurting him. Aaron stormed forward, readying his fist.

"Oi." Chrissie turned, only to make contact with a wide swing from Aaron's left fist. The angle of which is came from caused her to fly backwards, to Aaron's right. She rebounded off the door frame, grabbing onto it so she didn't fall to the floor. Aaron was lost, trying to figure out how he had such an impact. Realising the barrier was still around him, it made much more sense, as he pretty much had Robert's level of power with it. "Leave!" Aaron roared at her as she stared back at him.

"This isn't over, far from it!" She took a couple steps backward before speeding out of sight.

 

"Robert!" Aaron lowered to his knees, close to instantly collapsing to them to examine Robert. He felt the energy around him disperse. Robert tried to move himself but yelped in pain, making a noise close to hurling. "No Robert, don't move, you're really hurt. Just stay there." Aaron could not deny it, he was petrified; Robert looked battered from his incident in the kitchen the day before, but this looked  _much_ worse. Robert's head flopped to the right as his eyes began to roll. "Stay with me Robert, yeah?" Aaron's voice was horror-struck, as he spoke fast, desperate to keep Robert from falling unconscious.

"Kitchen...F-first draw..." He tugged on Aaron's top, wheezing as he only managed to suck in inadequate amounts of oxygen at best. A flurry of daggers were being thrown about in his stomach as his internal pain started to feel lethal.

"First draw, right-I-just hold on Robert, please!" Robert's chest began to palpitate as he struggled to even draw in any air. Aaron entered the kitchen, frantic to figure out which  _first draw_ Robert meant. He tried the small ones beneath the surface top. Cutlery in one, fine-china plates stacked up in another. Aaron tried the first draw of the second row, frantically pulling out the green medic box. He scurried on his feet, speeding back through the living space into the foyer. "No, no, no!" He thumped down onto his knees, fear striking his heart as Robert was motionless, with his eyes closed. Aaron opened the box, seeing a syringe of morphine. He didn't know what to do, but knew right now Robert had nothing to lose. He rolled up Robert's sleeve, before ramming the needle into Robert's arm, injecting the liquid into it. Robert stayed motionless, making tears form on Aaron's ducts as he blinked. "Robert!" His voice broke as he shouted his name. He started to shake him, pleading for him to move. Aaron sat in front of him, with a look of distraught on his face, whilst he clutched onto Robert's arms. After a few moments, Robert's head shot up as he drew in a massive breath of oxygen. He exhaled, feeling the morphine taking effect, as it latched onto his organs and stomach tissue, numbing the pain. "Robert?" Aaron's voice was still wrangled by despair.

"Hiya-" Robert felt a relived warmness on his face as Aaron threw his arms around him. Robert slung an arm around Aaron, rubbing his back. "Were you getting emotional over me?" Robert laughed. Aaron retracted, his chuckle causing tears to fall from his eyes. He wiped them dry, managing a wobbly smile.

"I thought I'd lost you." Aaron was still sounding watery.

"Since when did I say I was going to leave you?" Robert rubbed the streams of blood from off his face with his sleeve, before delicately wiping a tear off Aaron's with his hand. Aaron placed a gentle kiss on Robert's lips, drawing back afterwards to gauge his reaction. Robert leaned forward to return the kiss, indulging in Aaron's lips. When he retracted, he looked down at his arm, cocking an eyebrow. "You could have been a little more gentle, that has really broken the skin." He said, looking at Aaron's face change.

"Well I'll keep that in mind next time I'm injecting you with morphine when you're on the brink of death."

"Good." There was a couple of seconds of silence as they looked at each other, before bursting out into calm laughter.

"Let's get you back to your room; you're going to need even more rest now." Aaron had so many questions, but now was not the time for them. He knew there was something deep Robert was hiding, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about it.

"That morphine should let me recover enough so the pain isn't so heavy." Aaron put Robert's arm over his shoulder, locking his own around Robert's side.

"On three, yeah? One, two...three!" Same as the day before, Aaron pushed off his feet, following the motion through his entire body to lift Robert up. They headed up the stairs once again, leaving the whole situation to feel like deja vu.

* * *

 

 


	5. Unlovable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert continues to shut himself away, but Aaron will not allow it any longer. Robert makes hasty plans to get Aaron out, leaving out an important detail. (Quite a dialogue-based chapter as they don't even leave that one scene aha. I promise I'll switch this up in the next chapter!)
> 
> *Small mention of self harm!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay once again; it was my mother's birthday yesterday and I am working hours on end to get her birthday video done! :)
> 
> I just want to say now, thank you to everyone that has read this so far!!! It means a hell of a lot! Thank you especially to those that left kudos too and commented; I love chatting with you and connecting with people that have read it :) !

**E** arly morning had broke through the grumpy clouds; but the current inhabitants of Home Farm were still oblivious as the weighted blackout curtains hung. Before the nightmare had a chance to consume Robert, he stirred, opening his eyes in a daze. It had felt so strange the past couple of days; he never usually slept like a mortal, but it was giving him a refreshed feeling. He looked down, smiling as he saw the fluffy hair that adorned Aaron's head, which was rested against his bare chest. The side of his stomach was stinging as Aaron's also bare chest was flush against it. His radiating body heat made the minimal pain worth it. Aaron had his arm slung over Robert's chest, with his hand loosely clutched under his left arm. Robert ran his hand through Aaron's hair whilst stroking his wrist with his remaining hand. Aaron began to move in his sleep, slowly coming around. He opened his eyes, seeing Robert's chest fill out most of his view. Lifting his head, he looked up at Robert who was un-phased. "Robert I'm sorry, you're stomach; I must have been lying-"

"Aaron, its fine, honestly." Robert spoke through a laugh, looking at Aaron with a general pleasantness in his eyes. "Come here." He pulled Aaron close again, so he was resting his head against Robert's right arm, his torso closely beside Robert's. Robert had his arm around Aaron's back, cupping him in his chilly embrace. "I wish I was warmer; I bet you'd rather lie apart."

"This is  _perfect_." Aaron placed his arm across Robert's chest again, stroking the side of it. "What happened last night?" Aaron asked, chuckling as it all felt like a daze.

"All I can really remember is you stumbling into the room, trying to hold me up, so I called you  _dosey_ -"

" _Dingle..._ Yeah I remember now. Do you always make fun of the people that try save you hm?" Aaron sat up, flipping onto his knees, looking at Robert with a smirk that popped his dimples out. He took hold of Robert's other side, running his fingers, one after another close to Robert's arm pits, causing him to squirm as he let loud laughter fly into the air. Aaron finally retracted his arms, laughing as he wasn't expecting Robert to be so ticklish. Robert sat up, opening his eyes as he recovered from giggling. A flutter was whirling around his stomach, and it wasn't because of the pain. After so many years of cold, blindness, a light had been lit in his mind, a light that was sitting right in front of him. His eyes melted into a smitten mush from the heat. He returned from his mind as he saw Aaron's brow furrowing. He leaned forward, his own now furrowing.

"Are you okay?" Robert spoke softly, examining Aaron's face, searching for an answer.

"Yeah I'm fine its just...what did Chrissie mean yesterday? About everything, really." Robert realise why no answer could be found upon Aaron's face; it was scrambled with question marks, lost without any answers present. Robert felt his chest tightening, keeping his fear internal; wondering how much Aaron wanted to know.

"You mean about the barrier?" Robert replied carefully, trying to steer Aaron away from wanting to know too much.

"Yeah." Aaron had his lips placed against each other in a lock as he looked at Robert intently.

"When a vampire is turned, they have a speciality in a certain ability: strength, agility, intellect, you name it. Sometimes, vampires are able to expand upon their ability. I was graced with extreme agility, which would surprise you when I have the barrier ability. It took me years to master it; when I first tried to control it, I was unable to push it further than millimetres away from my body. It use to hurt me; the exertion was just too much for me. Usually it doesn't affect me now, but yesterday I was so weak...I can project it rather far now, with ease." Robert was attempting to fill out Aaron's brain with facts, so he'd end his inquisitive questioning.

"Oh right...but she also said about you getting it from loving someone?"

"That doesn't matter; you don't need to know about it..." Robert felt his chest starting to lock, causing difficulty for air to enter and exit his body.

"Robert," He moved closer, taking hold of Robert's hand "you know you can talk to me, right? I just want to help you." Robert looked up at him, half-smiling. He did not know what to do. He had never had anyone to talk to, no one to listen to his past or problems.

"It isn't for you to worry about; its my burden."

"Robert, bottling it up just makes it worse; take it from someone that knows how it can affect you. Talking about things make them easier, trust me, okay? What's up?" Robert looked down, staring at his hand in Aaron's, spiralling backwards in his mind.

"It was 2004, I was perched in my favourite place in the village. This was before the fire so I didn't have to lock myself away in here. I still hid myself though you know," He looked up at Aaron "I was worried about my vampirism so I still stuck to the shadows when I went out. This favourite place was near the edge of the village, where one of the main roads went into the centre. There was this little boy; must have been about seven. I wondered why he was even out alone at that time. Bare in mind, it was around eight o'clock and the early nights had been rolling in for a few weeks so it was pitch-black. There was this driver, crazily erratic, speeding around the corner, as this little boy started crossing the road. I thought to myself that the driver would stop of course, despite how stupidly he was driving. But, he didn't..." Robert had returned to staring into his lap, seeing a depiction playing in his eyes.

"He didn't...you know...the little boy?" Aaron was gripped, yet choked. He had no idea that Robert had all these emotions and memories buried underneath his thick skin.

"No, luckily...that is where I come in. I sat, perched in my tree for a while. I saw the driver still speeding but still hoped he was going to stop. I did not really want to reveal my face. I saw the little boy, distraught with horror, frozen in place like a-well, a dear caught in headlights. I shouted out for the driver to stop; even if I had dashed down there, I would have been too late, the car was too close by this point. I can remember my eyes falling wide as the car suddenly crashed against some field that had formed in front of the boy. It was the one time I was able to project it that far without practice."

"What happened after?" Aaron was still holding onto Robert's hand.

"Well, I had to see if they were both alright. The little boy took one look at me and started running away. He was so scared of me, but honestly I was scared of him too. Children have such active imaginations and I did not know what he was going to say about what he had just seen. Obviously I dashed so I was ahead of him, not really thinking that he would be wondering how I got their so fast. I asked if he was alright. Respectfully his tongue was caught; being in a situation like that, at that age would leave anyone scarred, without the added extra of witnessing some kind of supernatural act."

"What was his name?" It was not the time, nor place for Aaron to know the real identity of this little boy. Robert felt the words tickling his tongue,  _Aaron Dingle_ , but instead he slipped them away, inserting a new name into the memory.

"He was called Andrew; he was petrified so I did not manage to get a second name. I hated myself for what I was about to do...but I had to. I used compulsion on him, making him forget all he had seen. It is an ability that all vampires have...but I have a strong displeasure for it. Anyway, once he had run along, oblivious to all he had just seen, I had to go and check on the driver. He was still breathing, slightly conscious. It was not the first thing I should have thought about, but I had to wipe his memory too. All he will remember that incident as is a common crash; losing control of the car as he was speeding, and veering off the road. I called an ambulance to him as well, but fled the scene before they got there. That was something I did not want to get myself involved in..." He looked up at Aaron who sharply exhaled, as his throat felt locked. He had been so engrossed that he had forgotten to periodically breathe.

"Robert, I...wow...I did not know how serious it was..."

"You could not have known. I am not the most open of people, am I?" Aaron leaned in, wrapping his arms around Robert, feeling the strangely enjoyable chill of his skin. He retracted himself, looking at Robert with innocence.

"You did that though, for a random child that you did not even know before that moment. You loved him, in a parental sort of way, surely." For some reason, those three words, _you loved him,_  caused a flood to crash in Robert's mind. Memories of his previous love flashed in his eyes, cutting into his mind like tiny daggers.

"No, this is all wrong, no!" Aaron was flushed with concern as Robert had suddenly changed. He looked down at himself, before looking up at Aaron, distraught, with blood starting to form on his tear ducts. "How can you care for me?" Robert roared, his voicing breaking towards the end. "I hardly saved that kid! I didn't instinctively think to save him did I?"

"But-"

"And I killed my last lover, so how can you sit there and say all you do! I'm vile!" Robert's eyes widened as he felt air funnelling through his lips as they were ajar. He had been betrayed by his senses and his mind, causing him to blurt more than he wanted to. For the first time in days, Aaron felt his skin turn cold as his body seemed to come to an halt, which was odd as he had been pressed against Robert's numbing-cold body.

"You-you did-what?" A dither wrapped around Aaron's words as he felt as he did the first time he met Robert. Clawing backwards on the bed, Aaron's stomach toppled upside down.

"Aaron-let me explain, _please_."

"You told me, you were not like her! I guess she was true, you do have dark secrets! Ones you lie about!" One snap, caused Aaron's emotions to erupt as everything Robert had said seemed like mud now.

"I didn't know what I was doing, Aaron! I lost control; I had recently been turned and I let my feelings blind me. I was drunk, hearing his heart thumping like a drum and his blood running like a stream or something like that! It all got too much! Which is exactly why I stop myself around you; I could not live with myself if I ever hurt you. You have to believe me Aaron!" He was looking away, wiping tears away from his cheeks with his wrist. He pouted his lips to the left, processing everything, slowly. He twitched as Robert cupped his hands. He gave him one drawn out look before removing his hands from Robert's and standing up, heading towards the door. Processing Aaron's refusal quickly, Robert reacted. "That little boy," Aaron turned, his eyes red with tears "he wasn't called Andrew." Aaron's brow furrowed as he wondered where Robert was going with this. For some reason, part of him compelled him to stay and listen. "He was called Aaron-Aaron Dingle." Aaron felt shot as vibrations zapped through his body, that left through his finger-ends.

"What..." Aaron exhaled the word, breathless, confused and desperately seeking an answer.

"That little boy, was you. From that day onward, I watched you, made sure no harm came to you. I slipped away from this rotting place every night, for just a couple of hours, so I could check up on you."

"No, no you're lying again! There is no way-"

"Christmas last year you sat in the bathroom, crying as you jabbed the blade of a cutting knife into your stomach. Two days after you sat in a field for half the night causing Zak and Lisa to go ballistic with worry. And, two days before Christmas that year you had a massive row with Zak, which probably prompted you to do what you did. Do you want me to keep going?"

"They were fine when I got home! This is just some twisted lie; bet you have been planning this haven't you." Aaron was shredding words through his anger.

"The only reason, they were fine, is because I used compulsion to make them believe you were staying with a friend, and to not worry, Aaron!" Robert was matching Aaron's volume, as he was angry from trying to repeatedly prove how much Aaron meant to him. Aaron looked down, with his fists scrunched. "I am not lying to you Aaron...I have made sure no one ever hurt you. Because, because I _love_ you..." A nausea rose in both their stomachs. Aaron was bewildered; no one had ever said that _to_  him, not in this way, whereas Robert was lost, as he had never said that  _to_ anyone. "You were all alone...at such a young age; it wasn't fair on you...you deserved so much more than that." Aaron stood motionless, gushing into even more tears. Robert had appeared ahead of him, gesturing towards Aaron but not impending himself upon him.

"And you're telling-the truth?"

"Why would I lie, about something like this, Aaron?" Robert was close to silence with softness as his eyes melted into a gentle shade of yellow. Aaron stared at him before stifling tears behind his hand as he shielded his eyes. "Come here." Robert pulled Aaron into a hug with the sound of Aaron spluttering tears starting to hurt his heart. Robert stroked the back of his head, swaying with him a little. "You're going to be alright, Aaron, I promise you."

"I'm sorry, Robert." Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert's neck, embracing him as everything felt horrible in that moment. It made him think of how wrong his life had gone; his father leaving before he was even born and then his mother leaving a few years after.

"What for?" Robert retracted himself so he could look at Aaron, a glisten of concern in his pupils.

"For not believing you..."

"Hey," Robert wiped the tears away from Aaron's eyes "you have nothing to apologise for. As I said before, I am not the most open of people am I?" Robert smiled, attempting to brighten Aaron's mood. Robert pulled him back into a hug, letting his head rest on his shoulder, whilst he stroked the back of it again. "One thing is for sure, I am going to get you out of here. You deserve to get back to your life; trapped in here is no life for someone like you."

"But," Aaron drew his head back, so he could make eye contact with Robert's freckled face "I want to be with you." Aaron quarter-smiled. "When I am with you-I feel at home..."

"Same here." Robert half-smiled back, cupping Aaron's cheek. "But you need to live your life. We will deal with me getting out when we cross that bridge, okay?" Aaron nodded, resting his head against Robert's chest, feeling safe. Robert rubbed his head against Aaron's. This time, telling him the truth would have hurt him too much. Right now, hope was better than despair.

* * *

 


	6. Our time to say goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans continue to get Aaron safely out of the house. Delay is partially due to Robert's feelings, but is he going to mention them to Aaron? As things begin to come together, Aaron sees something that leaves a landslide in his head.

**R** obert and Aaron had shared his bed for another night; he was awake for most of it, just watching Aaron sleep peacefully as he thought about what to do. He knew getting Aaron out was a definite, but part of him still wanted him to stay, so he didn't get left to fall into isolation again. He couldn't leave the house, and he did not want to waver Aaron's determination to leave as he had forgotten about the minor detail of Robert practically being imprisoned. He was glad to a degree that his mind was so cluttered with Aaron, as it left no space for his nightmarish thoughts of becoming blood-crazed. Morning soon broke, Aaron stirred, rolling his head up as he had been lying on Robert's chest. His fringe was ruffled, leaving it to appear fluffier than usual. Robert giggled, running his chilly hand through Aaron's hair as he was rubbing sleep from his eyes. Aaron smirked, playfully bumping Robert's shoulder with his fist. "I'm sure your hair looked worse yesterday, Robert." Aaron chimed, sitting up onto his knees. They had fallen asleep rather rapidly last night after the ordeal with Chrissie, meaning they were still fully dressed. The pain in Robert's stomach was minimal; Aaron's cuts were healing up nicely on him and his weakness from yesterday was recovering steadily. "So what do you want today, Mr. Sugden? Sadly the menu hasn't updated, so its still quite small." Robert looked at Aaron with a brow raised as he saw his smile bringing out his dimples.

"Nothing for me today, but on the other hand. I would like you to have bacon, beans, sausage, hash brown, fried bread and a perfect dippy-egg, alright?"

"So," Aaron was genuinely confused, letting out a single breath of laughter " _you_ want  _me_ to go and make food for myself, correct?"

"Correct; go, go now." Robert sat back in the bed, resting his head on the pillow. Aaron stood up, looking back at Robert as he headed to the door, before stopping as he had suddenly disappeared from sight. Facing front, Aaron saw Robert standing in the doorway. "Do you really think I'd ask such a thing of you?"

"Well," Aaron elongated the word as he stepped closer, looking upwards with his eyebrows arched and his lips pushed upwards towards the left "I have been waiting on you like some captured slave, so I wouldn't put it past you. It has been awful you know, having to wait on you during every waking moment." Robert moved a little closer himself, pouting his lips as his eyebrows raised.

"Oh has it now?" Robert spoke, widening his eyes half way through his sentence.

"Definitely." Aaron smirked, switching his stare between Robert's lips and eyes which he noticed were beginning to soften in shade. Placing his lips on Robert's, he felt his hands cup his neck, sending shivery sensations down his body. Despite the icy feel of Robert's skin, his lips were always toasty and succulent, but that could have just been a personal adornment from Aaron. Robert retracted, tapping his fingertips on the nape of Aaron's neck.

"You get yourself comfy, and I'll be back before you know it." Robert had vanished from Aaron's vision in milliseconds. He returned to the bed, his face melting with cosiness as he ran his hand over Robert's pillow, feeling his lingering chill.

 

It felt good to be back on his feet; Robert flashed around the kitchen, preparing Aaron's breakfast. As he fried the bacon, he felt a tension on his shoulder-pads. He turned his head, rolling his eyes in the opposite direction as he saw her standing there. A short woman, with skin paler than Robert's, and hair that ended at the bottom of her neck, the same colour as Robert's, a sandy-blonde. "Hello Robert." Her voice was monotone, like nails screeching against a blackboard. She glared him down, with her reddened pupils, replicas of her sister's. Robert turned, leaning against the counter.

"What do you want Rebecca?" Robert already sounded uninterested as the sizzling bacon had more of a grasp over his attention. She stepped around the kitchen, running her hand over the back of the dining chair.

"I just came for a chat; Chrissie told me you've been harbouring a mortal and I just had to come and see for myself." Aaron had already began his descent down the stairs when he stopped hearing a foreign voice to his earlobes. He wanted to help with the breakfast and get a drink himself. Even though Robert was healing well, he still wanted to assist in any way he could. "I don't see him?" Rebecca looked around, smirking with sinister intent.

"Yeah, and it's going to stay that way because I won't let you anywhere near him. Why don't you do us both a favour and just back off." Robert put down the spatula, moving forward so he was towering over Rebecca. "You should not even be on this side of the estate. Get lost." Rebecca stepped back, continuing to lazily walk through the kitchen.

"What's wrong Robert? You seem to be very defensive of this man. Chrissie told me you pretty much put your life on the line for him. Wow, must be quite a catch. Is the great Robert Sugden falling for someone? I am hoping he knows about your past lover; how you sucked him dry because you couldn't resist him." Aaron was hugging the wall, crouched as he listened in. He knew about it, but not down to every gruesome detail.

"And what if I have?" Aaron felt his heart pulse. "It is none of your business. Stay away from him Rebecca-and that goes for the rest of your demented family, alright?"

"Oh I don't want to hurt him Robert; well not  _yet_ at least. But," She paused to look over at Robert with her harsh glare "is this really a life for him? You know you cannot leave, so are you really going to be that selfish to ask him to stay here and waste his entire life on some immortal being like you. Even if he did, you'd out live him anyway, so it would all be for nothing." Robert looked away, rolling his bottom lip inwards under the upper.

"I know...that is why I am going to get him out of here; away from you and your family. I haven't told him yet-that I won't be going I mean. I just haven't found the-"

"What?" Aaron's crumpled voice shot from behind Rebecca as he appeared in the wide doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Robert's eyes widened as he looked at Aaron with his breaking heart upon his cheeks.

"Oh dear..." Rebecca looked downwards, turning away from the pair for a moment.

"You were going to let me leave, without you? Why?" Aaron growled, like some kind of predator. Robert's strength was sinking, much like prey to Aaron's predatory aggression.

"Aaron you deserve to live your life! Not to be tied here, to this house and me. I told you before I could not leave; I don't know if you thought I was going to try and slip away with you or something, but I just can't! You deserve  _freedom._ " Just as Aaron was about to reply, Rebecca jumped between the pair, looking at Aaron with a devious smile before switching to Robert, turning her back on Aaron. As she did, surprisingly a knock sounded from the front door. Robert's brow furrowed as he looked in the general direction of the front door. He looked back to Rebecca; her eyes were wiping upwards into a cherry blossom-pink. Robert tried to barricade himself, but he was too late. Rebecca's entrancing stare had already locked onto his pupils. His body no longer felt his own, as he felt himself trapped away in a tiny region of his own mind.

"I am in no mood to answer that. Robert, would you? Whilst you're at it, kill them." The command hit Robert, causing him to react instantly. Aaron was astonished, watching Robert head towards the door with a thirst trapped in his eyes. Opening the door revealed a plump middle-aged woman, dressed in a tight blazer and a leg-restricting mini-skirt. Robert did not even give her a chance to speak. Instead, he booted her backwards, jumping at her as she flew through the air. Landing with Robert, the woman shrieked, before choking on blood which was spluttering out of her mouth as Robert had bit into her neck, causing her esophagus to flood with the shimmering scarlet liquid that Robert was so desperate for in his enthralled state. The woman writhed, curling her wrists and ankles as the pain was beginning to paralyse her body. With her eyes rolling upwards, life had left her body. Robert stood up, feeling control return to his body. He turned around, his chin coated with blood, along with his blue shirt stained with the same warm blood. It dripped from his fingers, landing on the innocent woman's leg and running down the side of it. He took a look back at her, overcome with horror as he clutched clumps of his hair. Despite a difference in circumstance, this was no different to the haunting nightmare that was hooked into his brain. It had only just occurred to him,  _Aaron_. He turned back around, seeing Aaron physically embodying, shattering. His face was trembling as Robert could see his body shaking from where he stood. Robert took a step forward, causing Aaron to sprint off up the stairs in retreat. Robert looked over at Rebecca, shooting daggers at her through his glare.

"You bitch!" Robert rushed past her, in pursuit of Aaron. She cackled to herself, casually strutting back to her side of the estate; her tall black heel's clack echoing around the ghostly household.

 

Once Robert caught up to Aaron, he was entering the room Robert had assigned for him. Aaron did not want to even address those four walls as his own room anymore. Everything felt wrong, a lot more than it had when he first came to this collapsing estate. "Aaron." Robert went over to try and reason with him but he snatched his body away, starting to stuff items into his backpack. "Aaron please." His desperation coiled around those two words as he began to consider begging on his knees.

"Please what?" Aaron whipped around, grinding the words into nothing as they spewed out his mouth. "Let you explain yourself, yeah?" He gestured with his open hands, aggressively waving it from the right to left. "Like you have been explaining yourself _everytime!"_ Aaron lurched with his head, caught amongst a landslide in his mind. A landslide of conflict. "I gave you so many chances; I wanted to believe you had changed. Because you know what? I felt myself falling for you, and I did not want to believe you were that kind of person! I even ignored all of what that crazy bitch Chrissie said, because I was so desperate for you to be different! You aren't though are you?" Aaron started getting in Robert's face, probing his finger to exert his point of argument.

"Aaron, that down there-wasn't me! You have to believe-"

" _To believe me!_ Like I always have to, yeah? No," Aaron looked away, placing his hands on his hips whilst rolling his tongue across his upper gums "I won't, not anymore. Is it just like how it wasn't you with the last guy you liked?"

"What?" Robert's brow furrowed with angst; his heart, which was beginning to ignite with Aaron around was starting to feel the disembodied breath of isolation blow against its flame.

"You said down there, it wasn't you. Like you said it wasn't you when you drained that guy dry of his blood, Robert!" Aaron's voice was strained with frustration. Underneath his anger his heart was snapping. However, it was all happening behind the walls that had built around his feelings for Robert.

"Aaron," Robert's voice croaked, hurt that Aaron would suggest such a thing "I loved him! What happened down there wasn't my doing! Rebecca forced me to do it! I don't expect you to understand how as it is all a little crazy. But I expect you to at least believe me!" Robert felt his own voice starting to rise.

"Funny ain't it? What you do to people you love?" Aaron was squinting at him, his stare as cold as a subzero winter. With that one sentence, isolation took one final blow, knocking out the flame in Robert's heart, leaving it to settle into its dormant state once again.

"How can you stand there and say that? I saved your life, three times! I took away your pain; I know I caused it, but I didn't have to, like you said yourself!" It was Robert probing his finger now, reiterating what Aaron had said with a different set of words the day before. "I risked my life, to protect you yesterday, because  _I love you._ " Aaron looked away, rolling his lips and eyes away from Robert, feeling a minor knockdown in the metaphorical walls of emotional protection. "So yeah, really funny what I do for people I care about!"

"You wanted me to go without you; guess you got your wish one way or another." Aaron had to keep up his stance; he grabbed his backpack, heading to the door as he slung it over his shoulder. Robert stood in the doorway, longing for Aaron to properly talk with him. "Get out of my way, Robert." In that moment, they made eye contact, soulfully. Robert saw all those years he watched over Aaron, flashing in his eyes. All the happy times, what few there were whilst he was here, starting to be lost in the seas of anger that were also swishing around his hazel-brown pupils. He stepped to the side, defeated. Even though he felt cracks in his heart, part of him felt this was the right way to end things. This way, Aaron would have moved on and lived his life,  _free_ , without any reason to come back to Home Farm. Aaron headed down the landing, bouncing around the corner as he started to descend the staircase. He was focusing on his feet, to stop himself from being lost in the slide that his mind was. It was aching from the crammed thoughts, but he refused to address it. He opened the front door, holding onto the knob for a few moments as he stared at the black gates ahead of him. It wasn't how he had hope this would turn out; he hadn't even had a chance to properly say goodbye. Robert stood in the same place, just outside the door to Aaron's room. He felt the blood trickling down his cheeks from his ducts. The pain he felt was accumulating for much more than just the few days Aaron had stayed here. He had been his whole life; his life was already dead, condemned to the shackling four walls of Home Farm. But, slipping away at night for a few hours to watch over Aaron always made him feel alive. In the finality of it all, Robert still hoped he would have been able to say goodbye. As Aaron was storming towards the gate, she appeared, Rebecca. He tightened his grip onto his backpack strap, taking a breath which was left behind his locked lips.

"Where are you off to then? I don't see Robert; trouble in paradise?" Aaron was unnerved, but determined to leave the chipping black gates ahead.

"I am leaving." Aaron attempted to walk past her, but she put her arm out, halting him. He looked over at her, a grim smile starting to stretch up her face. Another person appeared behind.

"Oh his little toy isn't here this time, this should be fun." Chrissie was licking the ends of her fangs, already imagining the taste of his blood.

"Come on sis, don't you think we should savour this moment? Our first meal in weeks." Aaron began to retreat away from both of them, moving in a diagonal pattern. He felt his backpack bump into something. As he turned around, a pale-skinned man with receding white hair, which was combed back stood before him. He looked down at Aaron with an eyebrow curved.

"Now, now my daughters, let's not play with our food." He spoke as cold as Aaron's body was currently feeling. Lawerence smirked at the young man ahead of him. His idiocy had led to this; he did not even stop to think about the Whites as he was making his exit. He bounced his stare between the three of them, who were slowly trapping him. Aaron covered his face, scared as he awaited his demise. The three of them started to move in to strike, but stopped as they heard a slam come from the house. Robert stormed out of the house, his eyes flashing that same angelic blue.

"Get away from him!" Robert looked at Aaron, seeing nothing more than the same scared little boy he saw that night, cupping his face, awaiting the worst. Before Rebecca could react, she felt herself being thumped away as Robert's barrier was manifesting into a tool of aggression, instead of protection. He blurred away, appearing next to Chrissie as he snatched her wrists. He rose his leg, stepping down onto her knee so she crumbled, before clawing her face. As he saw Lawerence charging towards him in a bullish manner, he let go of Chrssie, spinning around in a kick to throw her into Lawerence. He tripped off his feet, tumbling forward with Chrissie. Robert leaped over the pair, landing just behind them. Rebecca attempted to strike Robert with her foot, but her expertise in mentality over agility left her at a disadvantage. Robert grabbed her ankle, thrusting his own leg into her face. In her moment of paralysis, Robert took hold of her ankle with his other hand and swung her over his head, leaving her to smash into the stone path. The tumbling two were already coming back towards Robert. Lawerence managed to make contact; he took hold of Robert, jumping off his foot and landing with force, pinning Robert down. He gritted his teeth, looking up at Lawerence's murderous-red pupils. Aaron was pulled back to reality as Chrissie tugged on his arm, speeding towards his neck with her extended fangs. The translucent energy stopped her once again, swinging around and clouting her away. Robert drew it in, momentarily pinning Lawerence flush against him. Robert exploded the barrier once again, launching Lawerence into the sky. He followed up, leaping to Lawerence's side. Grabbing hold of his head, Robert rushed down, slamming Lawerence into the path. Rebecca was finally returning to the fight; she looked up with chippings of the stone path stuck in her face, along with thin streams of blood falling from the wounds. Robert focused on Chrissie, planning to deal with them both in one go. He grabbed Chrissie's arm, tugging at the limb so she stumbled forward to stop it from tearing. Robert drove his foot into her cheek, before retracting it, only to thrust it into her chest. He heard Rebecca lunge, knowing it was time.  He stepped to the side, pivoting on his foot. He took hold of Chrissie's head from the back. Rebecca tried to change direction but it was too late. Robert threw Chrissie into her, causing their faces to brutally collide with each other. Robert heard something crunch, which wasn't surprising. They both fell backwards, dazed as blood spewed from their faces. Some shards of the path had fell from Rebecca's face, only to lodge into Chrissie's. They may have been vampires, but this level of pain was still detrimental. Robert looked back at Aaron, who was as pale as him. He was shaking, his mouth wide as he felt his life flashing before him. Everything was starting to fade to monochrome, until Robert took hold of his arms.

"Aaron? Aaron, can you hear me?" His voice was blurred to Aaron, but it was slowly starting to come into focus. Robert shook him, speeding up his return to the clear, technicolor of reality. Aaron shoved Robert's hands off him, still so unsure of everything. Unknowings to Robert, Lawerence had stirred. His head glowed with a dark rose-red aura. As it did, his injuries healed at an hastened speed. His speciality in strength allowed him to to empower his self-healing capabilities; as well as-those around him. A ring of the energy expanded from his head, reaching Rebecca and Chrissie. Their faces began to heal; as the wounds closed up, it forced the shards to fall out. The cracking sound could be heard once again, rectifying whoever had the shattered skull. "Aaron, please..."

"Aaron?" Rebecca sounded croaky as she staggered to her feet, along with her sister. "Well this makes things even more pleasurable. You can't defend him forever, Robert; give him to us!" Robert started to step back, shielding Aaron with his body. Despite the explosive argument before, Aaron still stepped backwards with Robert, still feeling safe under his guard. He didn't consider asking why they were so intrigued after finding out his name as his mind was occupied with the multiple thoughts of staying alive.

"That has just made me even more desperate to tear his neck open!" Chrissie was close to entranced at the thought of feeding on Aaron now.

"You need to trust me, Aaron." Robert spoke quietly, only to Aaron. Aaron just looked at Robert, watching him stare between the three Whites ahead. "Aaron." He was still awaiting a response, to signal his retreat. Aaron exhaled deeply, part of him feeling this was a mistake. He wrapped his arms around Robert's chest, laying his head against his back.

"Okay." Robert pulled Aaron's legs into his hands before dashing away into the house. The three of them shared a glare that could kill.

"Get him!" Rebecca shrieked, as Lawerence and Chrissie vanished, joining the vampiric pursuit. It was useless though; neither of them specialised in agility, so they could not match Robert's dexterous speed. He stopped in the abandoned ballroom that Aaron saw him in before. They were hidden underneath the balcony, out of sight. Robert let Aaron slide off his back before turning to face him.

"You okay?" Robert spoke softly; he felt like a fugitive in his own _home_. Aaron was lost for words, only nodding a little.

"Yeah-I-I think..." He suddenly looked at Robert, his soft freckled face causing a wrecking ball to smash against the walls in his mind. "Robert I am _so_ sorry; I was an arrogant jerk, saying all that about what you do to people you love, and-and-"

"Aaron relax would you. It's fine." He rubbed Aaron's wrist, smiling to reassure him.

"'Cept-it isn't." Aaron took hold of Robert's hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "I've never had someone who cared for me like you do. I've never had anyone who would risk so much for me. I never thought I would, especially not with you. This entire situation isn't exactly what you would call, _normal_." He snickered as they both smiled at each other. "I want to stay." Robert staggered a little.

"No, Aaron you have to go. I've already told you this is no life for you."

"What, and the life I was living was?" Aaron was being irrational, focusing on nothing but the negatives in his life.

"Aaron, you have family and friends that care about you. If you stayed here, they would be worrying for the rest of their lives, wondering what happened to you. They can give you so much more than what I can. As much as I want you to stay, you need to go, it is for the best. I am sure you know that too, deep down." Robert half-smiled, hating to see Aaron's eyes filling with tears. "I wish there was a different way. Even if I ran away with you, it'd still be no life for you. I'd constantly have to run, stay hidden. You deserve better than that."

"But all I want is you." Aaron hugged Robert, choking on tears as he tightened his grip around Robert. Robert was overcome with emotions, only realising now how intensely Aaron was going to miss all of this. Robert stroked the back of his head, drawing him back.

"Hey," He rested his forehead against Aaron's, looking into his eyes, wiping away the tears "things will get better. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, as they are the _best_ thing to do. This is one of those things." Robert leaned back, taking a breath. "There is something you need to know though. Now before I tell you, I need you to know I had your best interests at heart, okay?" Aaron wiped away his tears as his brow furrowed, leaving him looking stern.

"Why?"

"Do you believe me?"

"Robert what do you mean?"

"Aaron, do you believe me when I say I had your best interest-"

"Yes, yes, just tell me what you need to tell me." Aaron was hastened in his worry, wondering what Robert was going to tell him.

"Okay." Robert took a breath which lifted his entire body, before dropping it again as he exhaled. "Before, when they were suddenly engaged by finding out your name, it's because you are special, Aaron."

"Okay...? Special as in?" Aaron looked at Robert, side-eyed in his confusion.

"Your dad, Gordon. He was the leader of the Drakurys."

"Wait, hold up-as in the order of hunters or whatever you call-no, that can't be right!"

"Aaron, breath, just breath." Robert focused directly on him. Aaron finally took a breath, relaxing himself. "Your father left because he wanted you to live a normal life. When the leader of the Drakurys passed, a new one is appointed. Usually it is chosen by a vote, but as you are his son, you would have been the next in line, by blood. He didn't want that for you; he didn't want you to have such a responsablity."

"He, he's dead?" Aaron's voice dropped, along with his heart.

"Yes...When he found out about your mother, he went crazy. I am so sorry to drop all of this on you, but you need to know the truth."

"What about my mother..." Aaron was managing to stay on track, focusing on what was important.

"Your mother-was a vampire."

"What! So I'm some strange freak in between with hunter and vampire blood?" Aaron shouted in a whisper, remembering they were still hiding from the Whites.

"No, no. Your mother was turned after you were born; when she mysteriously vanished. She became blood-crazed. Whoever turned her, fed her a multitude of bloods, leaving her to thirst for it, and nothing else. She became intoxicated, crazed to get more. When you become blood-crazed, it dulls your senses, leaving you to focus on nothing but the desperation for blood. She left you, so she could hunt. There must be a shimmer of humanity left in her, as she did not attack you there and then." Robert paused, giving Aaron time to process, and breathe, before continuing. "When Gordon found out about your mother being blood-crazed, he thought you was as well. He appointed temporary leadership of the Drakurys, before leaving to hunt you down."

" _Hunt_ me down? As in he was going to-"

"-Kill you...Gordon was devoted to the Order; he did not let his emotions get in the way. When he was hunting you, he would have no longer classed you as his son, but an enemy. It took him some time to find you, years in fact. Your mother moved to Emmerdale whilst carrying you, so Gordon had no idea where you had moved to. He finally found you, April thirty-first, 2005." Robert was reliving the moment as Aaron looked at him, puzzled.

"How do you know the day he found me?"

"I was there, Aaron. When I saved you from that accident, I never stopped watching over you. I saw him on that night, lurking around outside the farm house, Lisa and Zak's. I was unsure who he was, but I knew he was a threat when I saw him drawing a wooden stake. With him thinking you were a vampire, that kind of weaponry would have killed you. As he was moving close, I intercepted. It was only then I realised who he was. We fought; he put aside his hatred for my kind and still focused on wanting to get to you, above all else. Sadly, he did beat me, but not entirely. The thought of him hurting you, when you were nothing more than an innocent child, was unbearable. Without a second thought, I was upon him; I drove my hand into him, ripping out the one organ he could not live without, his heart. I had to turn away as I heard him squirming in agony. Once he had gone, I cleared up the body, promising to take the secret to my grave, or whatever the equivalent is for an immortal. Back then, I never realised I would come into direct contact with you, so I never thought about the possibility of having to tell you." Robert had been looking away, lost on his tangent. He looked back at Aaron who was staring at the ground, tears rolling down his cheeks slowly. Robert knew Aaron was going to erupt, lash out and throw more rash words at him. Aaron sniffed up, taking a breath before looking at Robert.

"My own dad, wanted to kill me?" Aaron resorted to more tears, feeling a hole forming in his heart as the abandonment felt nothing but worse now. Robert was aghast, he did not expect Aaron to focus on that over what he had done. Robert opened his arms, unsure as to if Aaron would want him close. He was only surprised again when Aaron threw himself into his embrace. Robert did not know it, but Aaron felt at home in his arms, more so than his own home.

"I'm so sorry Aaron. If there was any other way, I would have handled it all differently. He was determined to get to you, no matter what; I had to stop him." Robert swayed with Aaron, rubbing his back. He knew this could not be easy for Aaron. Everything he knew to be true was a lie; even down to his parent's disappearances. It made him feel worse, about letting Aaron go, knowing that he wouldn't leave all that Robert had told him alone. He knew it was wrong, but this was the only way to get Aaron to move on. "I'll come with you." Aaron drew back, his eyes filled with tears.

"What?" His voice sounded hopeful; he had clearly heard Robert, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting him.

"I'll come with you. We'll leave this place, together. It'll be tricky, and I mean insanely tricky, but it'll be worth it, right?" If it wasn't all a lie, Robert would have felt overjoyed as he saw how much that sentence lit up Aaron's face. "We will leave this place, and all the horrible memories of the past that have been shared here. I can start again, in a new life, with you." Aaron looked at him with a glaze in his eyes, and happiness pulling a smile up his cheeks. He knew that the truth about his past would haunt him for the many years to come. But knowing Robert would be there to support him. it didn't feel so bad anymore. "Let me change these clothes; its not exactly how I would picture a new start, strolling around in blood-covered clothes, do you?"

"Probably not." Aaron laughed, causing tears to eject.

"Wait here, I will be back." Aaron wiped away his tears, nodding. A single blink later, Robert was gone. A few minutes later he returned, in a fresh-blue shirt and a deep sea-blue blazer. "You ready?" Robert held out his hand, which Aaron took hold of instantly. Robert hoisted him up, putting his arms underneath Aaron, to carry him. Aaron rested against him as they moved at Robert's inhuman speed.

 

Landing just inside the grounds, with the gate in touching distance, Robert lowered Aaron. Their arrival there had not gone unnoticed. The Whites were always speeding down the path towards the pair. Robert's eyes flashed blue, causing him and Aaron to be enveloped in the translucent energy. The Whites stopped themselves, gnashing their teeth as they longed for a taste of Aaron. It wasn't regularly they got to feed on hunter blood, especially royal hunter blood such as Aaron's. Robert took hold of Aaron's hands, looking down at them, dropping his shoulders. "Come on Robert, let's go!" Robert looked up at Aaron, bloody tears forming in his ducts.

"It's time to say  _goodbye_ , Aaron." His face dropped as Robert's words hit it.

"But you said-"

"I had to say something to get you to just here. If I told you the truth you would have never moved."

"So you think telling me now is going to make me leave? I am  _not_ leaving without you! You told me you wanted a new life. I can deal with whatever comes our way, as long as I am with you, Robert. Don't you want that?"

"I want a life with you more than anything Aaron, but you deserve better than this-better than  _me_." Robert began to start at Aaron intently. Without him saying anything, Aaron knew what he was doing.

"No-no! Don't you dare!" He was roaring out of heartbreak, not anger. He didn't want to forget.

"Aaron, you will forget ever coming here;you went to wherever you were suppose to go two days ago. You returned today early because of some reason or other; I am sure you will figure something out. You will forget about the Whites, this house, what happened here-and... _me_."

"Robert...please I-"

"We died in the fire, twelve years ago, and that is all you remember. You will not know about vampires, or the Drakurys. You will only remember that your father left before you were born because he couldn't handle being a father and your mother left for unknown reasons. You will not blame yourself though, and you will not worry about being abandoned anymore. You will live a free life, one without pain and suffering. Your scars are gone, and so is that part of your life. There is many ways to healthily deal with your problems; you will find a way instead of harming yourself. You will be just a normal young man, starting out in the world, to hopefully become successful in your profession-and in life." Aaron could feel memories starting to erase, and switch with others. They only had a few moments before Robert's face would become nothing but a ghost to Aaron. He cupped Robert's face, distraught with anguish as he knew soon he wouldn't remember any of what he did for him. How he saved him both physically and mentally.

"I love you, Robert." His voice was soft, drained as the world had stopped turning in that exact moment."

"And I love you-but this was never meant to be." Robert was equally as soft. He cupped Aaron's face himself, placing a kiss on his forehead. His eyes scrunched as he held onto the kiss, wanting to press all of his apologies, sincerity and feeling upon Aaron's skin. Pulling back, he started to see an emptiness in Aaron's eyes, telling him it was time. He let go, opening the gate behind Aaron and gently pushing him through it, before shutting it once again. A stranger, as if the past few days were nothing but fantasy. He saw Aaron walk away down the street, heading to his _real_ home. "Goodbye...Aaron..." Robert looked away, feeling the bridge of his nose close as he clenched his jaw. His entire face hurt due to the thought that he was alone once again. Left to lie dormant in the shadowy isolation of Home Farm. He wiped his eyes, as blood continued to pour from them. He had it all for two days; a person that loved him, understood him and most importantly- _accepted him_. Robert yelped, as he felt the harsh coldness of the gate's railings against his face suddenly. Rebecca had his head pinned into it; usually he could've fought against her. But he found the same question playing over in his head:  _What is there left to fight for?_

"You're going to really regret letting him escape, Sugden." Rebecca spat the words against the nape of his neck as anger moulded her face.

"Do what you want, Aaron is safe. I don't care what you do to me." Robert had been looking over Aaron for so long now, worried about him finding out the truth, worried he was living a lie, believing he caused his parent's to leave. Worried that he hurt himself, to punish himself for what he had caused. Robert knew now, Aaron could live happily, freely, without any doubts of his past. Aaron's happiness was his own with any other feelings being damned to fade away in the _empty_ halls of Home Farm estate.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is more to come ladies and gents! The story may sound quite finalised but I can assure there is more twists and turns for you to get through! ;)


	7. The Drakurys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron will be returning home, but what will become of Robert and the Whites. There is a few unsuspected members of the Drakurys currently in Emmerdale, posted to protect the area. Will one of them catch onto where Aaron has been. But most importantly, will Aaron remember?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack I am so sorry for this being two days late! I have honestly been writing little bits each day but never had the motivation to get it all done it one sitting. I went out on Saturday and honestly I've been feeling rather tired as I still need to catch up on sleep lmao! Nevertheless, here it is!

**T** he sun was lost behind the blackness of the sky as the glimmer of the stars was not present. The distant twinkle of the village hustle-and-bustle was finally coming into Aaron's vision. His head was hurting, as it felt like he had been lost in some coma-like state, and had been suddenly dropped into the world. The after effect of his compulsion was wearing off, but he was completely oblivious to it. He took out his phone, sending Adam a quick text to meet him at the Woolpack for a pint; to slip him back into his regular village life once more. The houses were nothing more than looming silhouettes on the edge of the village centre, as the light did not stretch far enough from the street lamps. He glanced at one of them, causing his mind's eye to fill out with the outline of a tallish man, as he looked at the blackout curtains that hung boldly in the bay window. He shook the faceless figment in his mind before continuing to the Woolpack.

 

As he entered the somewhat estranged village pub, he felt a shift in atmosphere as a cacophony of chatter filled the air. Sentences slurring into each other and words whacking against each other, leaving it all incoherent. "Yes lad!" That voice was not so strange though. Aaron turned his head, smiling as Adam was already on his feet, throwing his arms around Aaron's back. He reciprocated, hugging Adam and tapping his back.

"Y'alright?"

"Yeah I'm good; what about you though?" Adam spoke as he retracted from the hug, taking a seat with Aaron. "Aye, Marlon!" He looked over with a vacant stare. "Bring us another pint over for Aaron, would ya?" He just nodded, shifting around behind the counter. He seemed a little lost, probably encumbered by orders and tasks as Charity was nowhere to be seen. Aaron had been making himself settled, taking his backpack off.

"I'm good; the trip didn't go as I had planned when leaving."

"Yeah I was wondering why you were back so early. Weren't they clients we'd want to go into business with?"

"That's if there was any clients; I think someone got a massive mix up in dates, or venue, or something like that. There was no one there, when I got there at least. I wasn't late, nor early so I'm not sure what went wrong." For some reason, saying all this felt  _off_ to Aaron. He wasn't sure why, leaving him to keep his concerns personal. In that moment, Aaron casually glanced around the Woolpack, stopping as his eyes were anchored to someone's meal; a full English breakfast. ' _Nothing for me today, but on the other hand. I would like you to have bacon, beans, sausage, hash brown, fried bread and a perfect dippy-egg, alright?'_ The disembodied voice tethered to the faceless being in his mind. Aaron shook himself, looking back at Adam who had just been examining him.

"Well that is strange; why didn't you just stay out there? I know you've always wanted to go to London anyway haven't you?" A faint cog was turning in Adam's mind and he made a very crazy assumption in his mind but disregarded it as it seemed erratic-for now at least.

"Nah; it felt wrong to stay out there, so I headed back early. Why do you ask anyway, wanting to get rid of me aye?" Aaron smirked as Adam nudged his shoulder, smiling with his pristine gnashers. Marlon came over with the pint. As Aaron looked up to thank him, he saw a different man in Marlon's place. A tall, sandy-blond haired man, his irises a faded yellow, seeming soulless. He thought it was crazy, but he looked a lot like the man that died in the Home Farm fire, Robert Sugden. Adam was leaning forward, staring at Aaron as he sat frozen, looking up at Marlon.

"Aaron lad, y'alright?" His voice pulled Aaron back; he simply smiled, taking the drink off Marlon.

"Yeah sorry, just a little tired. Thanks Marlon." As he was walking away, Aaron rolled his tongue over him gums, deciding to ask. "Hey Marlon," he turned around, a little more tuned in than before "can I have an English breakfast? A full one I mean." He quickly glanced at Adam who had a funny look upon his face, as confusion was dumping on his brow. He looked back at Marlon who looked just as distant. "I-had one whilst in London." Again, despite it effortlessly coming out of his mouth, what he was saying still felt wrong, incorrect in some way. "I wanted to just have it again; I haven't eaten for quite a few hours now as well." The boggling request of a meal was making more sense to Adam now, but the cog was gaining slow momentum in his cranium as he wondered why Aaron hesitated to take the pint.

"Uh yeah, sure." Marlon plodded off, heading around the counter into the kitchen. Aaron took a chug of his pint, licking the froth away from his top lip, slanting an eyebrow as he looked over at Adam who was inspecting him. He let a single chuckle topple out as he put down his glass.

"What you watching me for? Never seen someone lick froth before?"

"Why did you hesitate when taking the pint off Marlon. I'm sure you couldn't have forgot about Marlon, eh?"

"I dunno," Aaron ran his finger around the rim of the glass as he looked at it "he seemed to remind me of someone? I've never seen the guy before though so I aren't sure what it was." Aaron took one look at Adam before rolling his eyes away whilst smirking, knowing he was trying to piece information together in his head. "Okay inspector Barton, calm down."

"What did he look like?" Adam replied, seeming to pay no attention to what Aaron had just said to him.

"I dunno uh, tall like Marlon, of course. He had blond hair, I think? If you want me to be honest, he seemed to remind me of that guy that died in the Home Farm fire. What was his na-"

"Robert Sugden..." Adam was looking down at the table, overcome with focus as he ironed out any incompatibilities in his thoughts.

"Yeah...that one. How did you know though?" Aaron shrugged with his lips, looking over at Adam, wondering why he was so deep in thought. Adam remembered the order's oath, to keep themselves hidden on a hunt, and to leave mortals oblivious. He looked up, taking a swig of his pint.

"Everyone in the village knows who died in that fire, Aaron. That Lawerence White could not have been who you were on about as he isn't tall enough. Robert Sugden was the only other person you could have meant. He is Vic's brother too; I have to console her regularly. I don't think she will ever be over losing him; he meant a lot to her. Lying to him was something Adam did not want to do; although there was a depth of truth to what he said. He needed to keep his motive for questioning a secret.

"Ah yeah, I suppose so." Aaron's mind was too crammed with confusion about the man he was imagining to wonder why Adam was so bothered. They continued to chat; Adam was avoiding the topic, to throw Aaron off his scent, so he would not suspect anything. Marlon had returned with Aaron's meal by this point. Another thought shot into Aaron's brain; he saw a table materialise, along with blurry surroundings that seemed to resemble a kitchen. That same man could be seen, lowering into the chair on the opposite side of the table. None of it made sense to Aaron in reality, so he kept it wrapped in his mind, leaving Adam no wiser. Scraping up the last of his egg, Aaron sat back in the seat, relaxing as he was letting it all go down. All he had seen in his mind was leaving him concerned; especially since part of him felt like he had never even left for the trip he was supposed to go on. "Right, I am going to head off home. I've had my fill and now I just need a sleep after that journey." Aaron stood up, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He pulled Adam in for a hug, tapping his back before retracting. "It's good to see you again. See you tomorrow at the yard, yeah?"

"Ahh...yeah, see you tomorrow. Glad you're back." Adam watched Aaron leave, finally taking a proper breath. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. "Hello?" Adam wasn't sure about the origin of the number.

"Ah Hiya, is this Adam Barton I am speaking to, co-owner of  _Holyscrap?_ " The voice sounded muffled, and choppy due to the static.

"Yes it is? Who is this?"

"This is Mr. Vamias; I ran the meeting earlier? I was under the impression we were getting a representative from your business. However, no one turned up in the end? We were looking forward to meeting you and knowing some more about your business, Mr. Barton." The cog whirred at a high speed in Adam's mind as everything about his assumption was fitting into place. "Mr. Barton?" The gentleman was still awaiting a response.

"Oh sorry; I am as confused as you are. My co-owner, Aaron Dingle was suppose to be there, at the meeting I mean. Are you sure he wasn't just missed or something? Or just not seen because I am certain he should have been there."

"I am afraid he was definitely not there. Do you want me to alert anyone? Has he come back, have you seen him?" The voice was getting progressively worse as the static was consuming it.

"Oh there is no need for that; he has come back alright, but I am just unsure why he never made it to the meeting. I'll have a talk to him about it tomorrow. I am really sorry if it cause you any inconvenience or problems."

"Oh none at--we continued with the--and it went well in the end. Just wish we could have--you." Adam just about filled in the blanks as the static was devouring whole words now. "Good luck in the f--er Barton." The line went dead and Adam sighed, drawing in a deep breath as he hoped his crazy theory was incorrect. But it wasn't. Robert Sugden _lived_.

 

Adam decided to stop by his mother's before heading home. Entering the old farm house, he rolled his eyes as she sat at the kitchen table, pouring pure silver into canisters, with two rows of bottled holy water next to her. "Mum-what if someone walked in and saw you doing that! We need to act with discretion, remember?"

"And you need to remember hunter blood comes with its perks, son. Heightened senses. I knew it was you that was coming. No one else really visits me up here anyway do they?" Moira tapped the canister against the table, to level out the silver crystals inside it, before closing the top of the capsule. She stood up, giving Adam a hug before starting to pack everything away into her night-black satchel. Its age was showing as the bottom edges were ragged, ripped and frayed. She had sown the two bottom corners multiple times, instead of replacing it. A past relative had given it to her, so her sentimentality forced her to keep it in the family. "What brings you up here then? We don't go hunting for a few more hours yet. Could you have actually come for a regular chat?" She spoke sarcastically as Adam usually visited to only discuss the order. "I'll put the kettle on; do you want one?"

"Nah I'm not stopping. I need to get back to Vic's in time so I can make it back for the hunt. I've come to ask about something." Moira tilted her head as she had her back to Adam, filling up the kettle.

"I knew it wouldn't be for just a conversation. What is it?"

"Do you think Robert Sugden could still be alive. We do have sources that believe he has been infected with vampirism. Earlier-"

"Woah, hold up there son. Don't you think that is a wee bit far fetched? We have sources but ultimately the Drakurys believe Robert Sugden is dead, despite the many attempts of investigation." She flicked the kettle on, causing its disruptive bubbling to fill the room. Moira walked into the living room, gesturing for Adam to follow her. She settled on the settee, with her body rotated to face Adam as he took a seat. "What has brought this on then, eh?"

"Aaron came back today. He was acting _off_."

"In what way?" Moira wasn't even beginning to become convinced.

"Well, Marlon offered him his pint and he seemed to freeze. And," He quickly jumped back in again before Moira responded "when I asked him what was wrong. He said he saw someone in place of Marlon. An hallucination of a tall blond-haired man. He even said his best description he could give was that it looked like the guy that died in the Home Farm fire. We both know Marlon; Aaron could not have meant Lawerence as he isn't tall enough. Then, all of a sudden, Aaron asked Marlon for a full English breakfast." Moira chuckled, looking at Adam with a crooked eyebrow.

"Love, what he explained does seem peculiar but him asking for food is not strange at all. He is just hungry, that is all."

"Wait, there is more mum. He said he wanted that meal in particular because he had it when he went to London on the business trip. When he left the Woolpack, I got a call from a Mr Vamias, the head of the meeting. He said that _Holyscrap_ never had a representative and was wondering why we didn't turn up. Obviously I was confused as Aaron said he had gone there but no one was there. It seems like he can't remember what actually happened-and he has been given  _false_ memories."

"Oh Adam love, have you heard yourself, eh? That seems like a very fanatical theory. Maybe Aaron could just be lying about going? You have told me he has wanted to go to London for a wee bit of fun. He might have missed the meeting on purpose."

"No mum, Aaron would have told me. Something is going on here. Can we at least check out Home Farm estate? If no one is there, we have nothing to worry about do we? If no one is there, I will drop this immediately, alright?" Moira looked at him, curling her lips as she thought.

"Okay-"

"Nice one mum!-"

"- _but_ , not tonight. You know we are stationed to protect the people of Emmerdale. We need to go on patrol. I had a report through this morning from the institute that surveys the Leeds area that there has been multiple sightings of vampires. We will check tomorrow okay? Just head back home for now and meet me behind the church in two hours. Don't be late though; we have a strict regime to keep to so we can return before dawn."

"Okay, see ya' later." Adam gave his mum a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. Moira headed into the kitchen after him, shaking her head as she smirked.

 

He looked to the side, seeing the same bloodied knuckles flying towards his face. Blood spew from his busted lip. "Come on Sugden, spill it." Lawerence gripped Robert by his fringe, lifting his head up. His eyes were nothing more than slits.

"You're-going have to do better than that, old man." Robert wheezed, laughing at Lawerence. He readied his arm once more, about to swing. He thrust his fist into Robert's face, causing him to rattle.

"Tell me what I want to know, Robert!" His voice was hoarse, deepened with rage. Robert only smirked, bubbling Lawerence's anger. He held Robert's head, pelting his kneecap into it, causing his nose to snap. Blood spilled from it in an instance. Robert's face felt numb so this was nothing of importance to him; it would heal eventually anyway was his mentality.

"You'll have to kill me before I will tell you anything-so good luck with that." He had been forming a gob of blood in his mouth. He spat, shooting it in Lawerence's face. He wiped it away, with his eyebrows close to horseshoes as they were sculpted by the clay worker of anger that was moulding his face. He took hold of Robert, ready to drive his head into Robert's.

"That's enough, Dad." Rebecca walked forward, looking down at Robert as he flopped forward due to Lawerence letting go of him. His hands were shackled together, limiting their movement. He held his stomach, looking at her as she crouched to his height. "If the great, Robert Sugden won't tell us himself, we'll just make him. Robert tried to barricade himself but it was futile. Rebecca gripped his hands, pinning them above his head. Shes smiled maliciously, before driving her other hand into his chest. It pierced his skin effortlessly, causing Robert to exhale as his lungs felt empty; as if oxygen was vacuuming out of the open wound. Rebecca did not delay; she gripped Robert's heart, squeezing it ever so slightly. Robert yelled in agony. His face was crumpled, pulled in every direction from the indescribable pain. He continued to yelp but soundless noises only escaped his mouth as his throat felt like it had collapsed inwards. With her hand over his heart, he was under her control. Her eyes transitioned to a cherry-pink, with the same upwards wipe. "Now Robert, you _will_ tell me where Aaron Dingle went." Robert was compelled but felt nothing but guilt, instantaneously.

"He-lives in the village...the dilapidated farm house...he lives with his uncle and aunt..." His voice was breathless, defeated.

"Thank you, Robert." She stood up, looking over at Lawerence. "Leave him here; I'm pretty sure he'll have a lot to think about considering he just betrayed someone he claimed to love." Rebecca walked off, with the sound of her heels being muffled by Lawerence laying another pummel of his fist into Robert's face before following her out of the sightless, lifeless room. Robert coughed as his ducts streamed with bloody tears.

" _Aaron..._ " He spoke aloud, but still silent to the world.

 

Hours later, Adam was at the rendezvous point, behind the church. He had the attire of a hunter; a long navy-blue trench coat, a tight fitting black shirt, hidden under multiple holsters filled with everything from small knives to canisters of pure silver, like the ones his mother were filling earlier. A pair of canvas trousers covered his legs, which were tucked into strapped boots. Each boot had a small throwing knife attached to the side of them. Much like vampires, each hunter had enhanced blood which provided them with certain capabilities. Adam's gave him close to unmatched potency with duel weaponry. For this reason, a pair of wooden-handled axes were hanging in hooped straps on his back, crossing over each other, in a 'x' formation. There was a crossbow just below, attached to his belt. Every hunter of the Drakurys was equipped with a standard crossbow. Adam looked around, seeing two other hunters approaching. "Alright ladies?" He whispered as Leyla and Priya both looked at each other, side-eyed with a pout. Leyla had a pair of half eye glasses on the bridge of her nose. They were blackened out, with a red tint in the glasses; only there for cosmetics.

"Fine thanks, Adam." replied Priya, stopping beside Adam. Both Leyla and Priya had small crescent daggers, with holes in the blades on their hips. The pale moon bounced light off them as they were sharpened with cutthroat precision. Both of them specialised in the same ability, enhanced agility. They were a pair of the most notable for their speed amongst the Drakurys, as they moved at a speed that was faster than most fledgling vampires. They were skilled in close combat with their daggers, along with hand-to-hand. Leyla drew one of her crescent daggers, using it to file her nail. She looked up at Adam, smirking as she rolled her lips outwards.

"D'want me to take a few inches off your ego too, Adam?" Priya chirped to herself as she laughed at Leyla's remark, along with the expression that instantly filled Adam's face.

"Nah thanks, I'm fine." The final member of the hunters arrived, Moira. Her longer service in the Drakurys had led to her developing an interesting skill. She was able to vanish from sight; move around invisible and appear when she wanted to. It was known as night shifting in Drakurys lore. An humongous crossbow was attached to a harness on her back. Unlike the others, Moira did not specialise in melee weaponry; she instead had mastery with her crossbow, using it for both melee and ranged. Her unique ability and extreme proficiency gave her the title of _Ammoliti Drakeer el uvel baleis_ which translates to Immortal hunter of evil doers from the ancient Drakurian language. She was bestowed this title as no vampire has lasted long enough to harm her.

"Right," Moira joined the three whilst Priya and Leyla spread out so the four of them made a circle "I have had a report from the institute of the Leeds area saying that there has been reports of blood-crazed vampires heading to the Emmerdale area. We need to act quickly and exterminate them. We will start patrol in the forests on the outskirts of the village as that is a prime place for them to take cover. Stay close to each other and cover each other's backs. _Drakamitus Emitoi_ , may the night protect us." The four dispersed, disappearing into the night in less than a blink. They scurried across the forest floor, spread slightly but still close enough to protect each other. Sounds of ambience and creaking trees could be heard above, intertwined with the movement of the leaves in the canopy of tree trunks. Moira rose her hand, halting the others behind her. Faint thumping could be heard in Adam's direction as someone, or something was travelling from trunk to trunk. Moira swung the hefty crossbrow from her back as she spun round onto her knee. "Duck!" Unsure who she was addressing, all three dropped to the floor. Being able to see in the night was a trait all hunters were gifted with. Moira pressed the trigger sending an arrow tipped with pure silver into the distance. As it made contact, a yelp sounded out into the night; it echoed through the trees, dispersing into the empty sky. "Go!" Moira commanded, following afterwards to cover their backs. As they approached the source of the sound, shock slapped their faces.

"What...?" Adam looked at the sandy-blonde haired woman. Her face was not forgetful, Rebecca White. She ripped the arrow from her hip, throwing it towards Adam before leaping backwards. He grabbed it's body as he dodged to the right, stopping it from flying towards Moira behind. As Rebecca landed, two more familiar faces joined her; one at either side. "It can't be..."

"Rebecca your hip!" Chrissie examined her sister's leg whilst Lawerence seethed with hatred towards the four ahead of him. He charged forward, sending out a pulse, speeding up Rebecca's regeneration, leaving the wound to close within only a few moments. Adam jumped forward, diving over Lawerence's head. Moira watched the brutish man coming towards her at an accelerated pace.

"Come on then, big boy." She smirked. As he came closer, she timed herself perfectly. She took hold of his shoulder, flipping herself over it diagonally. During the movement, she drew the regular crossbow from her waist. With a push of her hand as momentum, she flew into the air, rapid firing bolts into the back of Lawerence's shoulder. He grumbled a little from the multiple bolts now lodged in the fatty tissue in his shoulder. Moira alerted, looking to her side, seeing Chrissie pacing backwards as she fended off Leyla and Priya. Rolling forward, Moira vanished from sight, leaving Lawerence on red alert. Chrissie deflected each strike of the agile pair of hunters. Leyla leaped over her head, cutting off her back peddling. However, Chrissie had adapted to the situation accordingly, staying one step ahead. As Leyla thrust downwards with her blades, Chrissie dropped, extending her leg and arm, whilst using the other to prop herself. Her foot made contact with Priya's chest, causing her to tumble backwards. Her fist pushed into Leyla's face, making her stagger backwards as she rubbed her nose with her wrist. Priya drew her crossbow, flying multiple bolts into Chrissie's back as she ran forward. Chrissie stumbled, trying to continue through the sudden agony. Priya tossed up her crossbow, jumping up afterwards. As she spun in the air, she drew her crescent daggers. Landing in a crouch, she struck Chrissie's stomach multiple times with quick, successful slices. Sheathing them in time, perfectly calculated, she took hold of her crossbow as it landed in her hands. Firing again, five bolts, one after another landed in Chrissie's chest, causing her to stutter backwards on her feet. Priya placed the crossbow back on her belt before going over to attend to Leyla. Rebecca was ruthless, kicking and clawing forwards as Adam continued to move backwards, deflecting her strikes with the handle of his axes. As a small opening showed itself to him, he retaliated. He thumped the handle into her face, causing her to stumble in her relentless attacks. Adam opened up into a multitude of bashes with the handles; striking from the left and then the right to daze the blood thirsty being before him. He smacked her with the side of the axe's head, causing her to almost fall over. She saved herself from tripping, but it wasn't enough. Adam drove his arms down, lodging the axes into her collar bones. She shrieked, feeling them push through the bone. Adam leaped, stepping down on her shoulder, pulling out the axes as he somersaulted over her head, leaving the two grievous wounds to ooze. He was about to slash into her back, but was intercepted whilst spinning. Chrissie gripped onto his coat, spinning him around mid air, before throwing him into a nearby tree. She pounced forward as her fangs ripped through her gums, ready to feed. However, karma struck as Leyla took hold of the tree trunk, rotating around. She came around the side of the tree with her leg extended, making her heel slam into Chrissie's cheek. With the air behind Leyla, she struck Chrissie at a pace, leaving her to fall to the side. Rebecca attempted to lunge forward but Priya appeared in front of her, thrusting her dagger towards her. Rebecca lurched backwards, avoiding the strike. She stared down Priya who was smirking as she spun the dagger in her hand. Meanwhile, Moira was still tussling with Lawerence. She kept batting away his fists with her crossbow, taking hold of it with both hands and bashing it into his body whenever she had the chance. The back and forth trades were seeming to do nothing to Lawerence's bullish stamina so Moira decided to switch it up. Moira rushed forward, jumping towards Lawerence. She used him as a climbing device, taking a couple of steps against his body. As she stepped again, she swung around her crossbow, belting it across his face. As he took a few steps back to recover, Moira jumped off him, landing with a roll. She took a moment to calm herself, to focus on her soul. Lawerence was stampeding at her like a highland ram once again. Moira jumped; it seemed effortless, but she had actually leaped a great distance into the open space. She was in touch with a deeper power. She twirled in the air, gripping her large crossbow. As she did, she said two words in Drakurian: _Salace Exterminus_  (Silver extermination) _._ As she did, her eyes exploded with a white, soft energy. It started to envelope the tips of her crossbow's limbs, spreading inwards. Moira fired three shots, but they were unlike others she had before. They were without a bolt; pure energy and larger in size. They left an angelic trail, with almost transparent feathers that dissolved as they fell from the speeding bolt of energy. They dug deep into Lawerence's back, causing him to fall forward, slamming into the ground as he landed. They rendered him impaired. He tried to push up on his hands but they only wobbled before crumbling. Rebecca looked at him in horror; she jumped onto her hands, clapping her legs on either side of Priya's head, disorientating her. As she landed she cried out.

"Dad!" She began running to his side in a blur. Her shriek caught the attention of Chrissie whose bottom lip dropped as she look in their direction. She retreated from Leyla and Adam who were closing in on her, to join Lawerence and Rebecca. They both fussed around him, not knowing how to handle him. "Dad, can you hear us?" Rebecca's voice sounded strangulated as she fretted. The hunters regrouped, staring at the three battle-scarred vampires. Lawerence finally started to move again as his empowered self-healing kicked in. It repaired him enough so that he could move. He stood up, looking between his two daughters.

"I-I'm fine, thank you. Don't worry about me. Worry about them." Lawerence looked ready to fight again, but Rebecca and Chrissie stood ahead of him.

"You're not fighting anyone, Dad." Chrissie announced, speaking with finality.

"No chance." Rebecca agreed, looking at Chrissie. "Find somewhere to keep yourself safe, we'll handle this." Rebecca nodded to Chrissie, before they both dashed forward.

"Adam, you're with me." Moira spoke as she readied her crossbow, heading forward towards Chrissie. Adam followed after her.

"Well then Leyla." Priya looked at her taller friend who was readying her daggers. "Tag team?"

"You read my mind." They both smiled at each other, heading towards Rebecca. Priya moved in first, meeting Rebecca head on. She executed a complex flurry of strikes, following Rebecca closely. She managed to land a couple but Rebecca was induced with rage, leaving her to ignore the minor pain. Priya rolled forward, extending her leg over her head to hit Rebecca, pushing her backwards. She ducked her head as she finished the roll, letting Leyla jump over her. She also kicked Rebecca, before spinning and slitting skin on Rebecca's arms as she made multiple strikes. Rebecca grabbed hold of her arm as she spun. She drove her knee into Leyla's side, before shoulder barging her away. Priya was running forward; she managed to leap over Leyla in a spin. She threw out her daggers which she had attached to retractable lines. They stuck into Rebecca, allowing Priya to draw herself towards her. She booted her with her heel, pulling out her daggers. She hooked Rebecca's wrists in the crescent of her daggers, pulling her closer and leaving light cuts on her wrists. She headbutted Rebecca, whilst spinning her daggers away so she hurled backwards. Leyla slipped in to the side, sweeping her foot at Rebecca's ankles so she tripped. But, Rebecca reacted, landing on her hands and flipping backwards twice. Priya had already bounced off her foot, heading towards Rebecca. She lowered herself down, kicking Priya over herself. Rebecca rolled backwards, landing with her leg extended, ready to rush at Leyla. She blurred forward, slamming her heel into the back of Leyla's knee, causing her to crumble. Rebecca stepped on her now exposed knee and slung her leg around Leyla. She sat on her shoulders, spinning her around before forcing her to the ground at quite an impact. Rebecca unwrapped her legs, simply back flipping slowly away from Leyla. She was not paying attention to Priya though who was already back in the fight. She threw one of the small daggers from her boot at Rebecca's ankle. Rebecca tried to pull it out in time but Priya was running forward with a steady acceleration. She jumped up, sheathing her daggers, only to occupy her hands with the crossbow from her belt. She fired multiple bolts as she lunged over. They lodged into Rebecca's back, and over her shoulder. A couple landed in one of her gaping wounds over her collarbone, causing a hellish screech to pass her lips. Priya landed in front of her, as her knees were buckling. Priya took a firm hold of her crossbow, swinging it into Rebecca's face, makng her fall to the ground, finally out cold. Chrissie was having no luck at defending herself either. Adam had been landing thump after thump of his axes into her. It was only making way for the finisher though. Moira rolled forward, disappearing. She appeared beside Chrissie, firing a bolt, before vanishing again. She appeared behind her shooting another. She continued to do so, appearing at different angles and firing a shot, disorientating Chrissie. She staggered backwards, her whole body hunched forward as she felt blood draining from her multiple wounds. Moira appeared in front of her, taking one of the canisters from her holster. She twisted a thin section of it, before tossing it at Chrissie. It made contact, exploding crystals of silver all over Chrissie. She shrieked as it burnt her skin, which only felt worse on her open wounds. As Moira was about to fire again, Lawerene appeared at Chrissie's side, scooping her into his arms. He flashed out of sight, before appearing next to Rebecca and picking her up too.

"Get us out of here Chrissie!" He spoke in a gritty tone, watching the hunters charge towards them. Chrissie finally revealed her ability; her eyes flashed a poisonous green. Shortly afterwards, the three of them blinked away; it wasn't their speed though, Chrissie had transported them away, back to the estate. Her specialisation in agility allowed her to bend perceptions of speed, going beyond it and allowing her to transport herself and others across great distances in seconds.

"Damn!" Moira placed her crossbow back on her back, taking a breath as everyone recuperated. Priya brushed herself down, whilst Leyla straightened out her hair.

"All that for nothing; I'll have to ask Bernice fix my bob now." Leyla moaned vainly, worrying about her vanities above all else. Priya was messing with her heel, as a chunk had chipped off.

"Great, my heel has broke; that was one feisty blonde bitch."

"That was not just any vampire, Priya." Adam was pacing, realising he had been right about everything. "That was Rebecca White, along with Chrissie and Lawerence White. See mum," he gestured with his hand, to the open space "I told you they were vampires. We need to go to Home Farm estate and kill them, along with Robert Sugden."

"Robert Sugden?" Leyla questioned, looking at Priya then Adam. "Isn't that Victoria's brother. Aren't relations exempt from being hunted, or something like that?"

"No, we need to kill them- _all_  of them." Adam spoke firmly, sticking to his word. He looked at his mum who was pacing herself now. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Not now, Adam. We have weakened them, enough to stop them from doing anything until tomorrow. We were posted tonight to hunt the reports of blood-crazed vampires. They are a personal matter that we need to deal with afterwards. Come on, let's keep exploring the woods; if we don't hurry it'll be dawn before we've even had a chance to kill one." Adam reluctantly followed; he knew it was the correct thing to do but his anger only rose throughout the night at the thought of a vampire doing anything to Aaron.

 

' _I risked my life, to protect you yesterday, because_   _I love you. No, Aaron you have to go. I've already told you this is no life for you. You deserve better than this-better than _me_. It's time to say  _goodbye_ , Aaron. I love you, Robert. And I love you-but this was never meant to_ _be._ ' The voices rushed around Aaron's head as he slept. He kept twitching, wondering what they all meant as his brain would not let them go. Instead it repeated them, constantly looping. They started to link to the figment he had seen earlier in his mind. He felt himself standing in darkness, with only the silhouette of the man ahead. A light began to brighten in the monochromatic dream; it moved forward, revealing the fresh freckled face of a man he had forgotten. Aaron shot up in the bed, his fringe drenched with sweat as single droplets were also running down his cheeks and over his stomach. He breathed deeply, realising.

" _Robert..._ "

* * *


	8. It's too late?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron has remembered, but Adam is also aware of Robert still being alive. Will Aaron go back to the house, despite what Robert had told him before he left? Will he even have the chance; as Adam is determined to do anything to keep Robert from hurting Aaron anymore.

**P** acing around his room, Aaron felt thunderous waves of memories smashing against the jagged coasts in his mind. Each wave caused his head to throb. It was all coming back; vampires, the Drakurys, Robert taking his pain away, as well as saving him multiple times. His past he knew to be true also came back to him, as nothing more than a collection of lies as he remembered all that Robert had told him. His dad was going to hunt him...and his mother was blood-crazed. He was Aaron Dingle, son of Gordon Livesy, the previous leader of the Drakurys. It boomed in his mind, causing him to retreat to the edge of his bed as he felt unstable on his feet. Looking into the space between his legs he tried to wrap his mind around all the memories once again, but they only pushed against his brain, causing it to ache. He had no further time to conceal them either as a knock came at his door. "Aaron lad, can I come in?" Part of Adam's volume was bounced back against the door but Aaron could easily tell who it was.

"Uhhh, yeah." Aaron grabbed his pyjama top, slipping his head into it as Adam entered. Again, Aaron seemed off, but it wasn't the same as yesterday. He was off yesterday, but today he seemed off- _off_ , which left Adam questioning if that was possible. Aaron was fleeting back and forth in his room, pulling together a few things for a shower, whilst also trying to occupy his mind with other thoughts. Adam tilted his head, tapping Aaron's shoulder as he was continuing on as if he wasn't in the room, which only caused him to wonder what was wrong.

"Y'alright? You seem a little distracted by something." Aaron turned with his lips slightly parted as he played the part of the clueless friend.

"What do you mean? I'm fine, just getting things together for my shower, that's all. Stop worrying about me okay?" He couldn't exactly tell Adam what was actually going on his mind. He thought to himself multiple times during those past few days, what if he was just dreaming all of this? Asleep on the train to London and he was going to be woken up eventually. But no, he had met a vampire; and it wasn't any vampire. It was Robert Sugden, someone that was pronounced dead twelve years ago. It threw his world out of perspective as it left him to wonder how many other people were vampires that had apparently _died._ He could hardly believe himself that this was all happening, so Adam would have thought he was delusional or something and had him booked in to be checked out. Aaron grabbed a towel from his wardrobe, tapping Adam's shoulder to reassure him as he walked past to the bathroom. Adam looked over his shoulder. Seeing that the coast was clear, he began his rummage. He was looking for something,  _anything_ that would definitely prove that Robert existed, or was trying to get into contact with Aaron. Adam was convinced Aaron was just covering up for him from the beginning, so he looked everywhere. Pulling out draws, rifling through clothes and documents that Aaron had in them. He left them as he found them, so he did not raise any suspicions. Looking around, Adam didn't know where to look next until he saw Aaron's backpack on the floor in front of his bed. He looked in the doorway again, feeling relieved as he heard the shower starting up meaning Aaron was just beginning. Adam picked it up, planting it down on Aaron's bed. Pushing past clothes, Adam was frantic but was making sure to not mess up the neatly folded tops. He kept his eyes on the door as he buried his hand in the bag, feeling around for anything that didn't feel like soft linen. Scratching around the bottom, his fingertips stumbled across the tip of something that felt like paper. Adam pushed his arm further, taking hold of it, realising it was an envelope. He slipped it around the side of the backpack, finally seeing it with his eyes. It was addressed to Aaron, written in a dated cursive manner. Adam peered over towards the doorway, still hearing the spit of the shower in the distance. Adam ripped open the envelope, unfolding the letter inside.

 

 

 

 

> _Dear Aaron,_
> 
> _I do not really know why I am writing this letter. I doubt you will ever find it. It isn't what I want, but I hope you don't find it. It will raise alarm bells for you and I don't want that, but I could not just let you go out of my life without telling you how much you meant, and will continue to mean to me. I had been alone, for twelve years Aaron, and I thought I could never love anyone again, after what I told you_ _(it is probably best I don't give you any hinters to remember me or what I told you). When I met you, in the most strange of circumstances...I felt...drawn to you? Drawn to you in a way I had never felt before. I kept myself shut off, desperately trying to not fall for you because I knew that it would just end in disaster. However, I could not help myself. I fell for you, and I fell hard. I might not have always shown it, but I did. I was only off with you because I knew you deserved better than the life I lead, and better than me...I wanted to be cold, so you would not like me, so you would go, and forget about me. However, you being persistent as you are, you stayed. You stayed with me, and even said you were willing to give up your life of freedom to be with me. That meant-a lot to me. Being with you, it made everything else irrelevant. It made the pain of twelve years of isolation bearable, as it all seemed to fade away when I was around you. You accepted me, even after all I have done, and all that I told you, and all the rejection and attempts at trying to push you away. I knew you had a kind heart, and someone worthy deserved it-that isn't me...I want you to get on with your life Aaron. Live a good, and long one with someone that will be able to give you all that you need. Even if you read this, think nothing of it. It is nothing more than a letter from a...ghost of your past. Consider me long gone and move on. I love you Aaron, and I always will, but go now and live the life you deserve. A life of freedom and opportunity with someone worthy of you._
> 
> _All my love, R._

Adam's fist was shaking as he started to crumple the edges of the letter in his tenacious grip. In reality, the letter was explaining about Robert doing the right thing, but Adam was still annoyed as Robert had some kind of imprint on Aaron's past now. He knew who Aaron was, and what it meant, so a vampire's compulsion would not work properly, forever. He heard the squeak of the shower as Aaron was turning it off, alerting him. He pushed Aaron's clothing back down, zipping the backpack up a little and carelessly tossing it back to the floor. He was not thinking to leave everything as he found it now as his brain was filling out with a depiction of Robert. He stuffed the letter into his coat's inner pocket, bending the edges of it, but he didn't care. He felt no remorse; Aaron did not deserve for Robert to anchor him again, it was for the best, so he believed. Aaron wandered back in with a towel wrapped around his waist, using a hand towel to wipe his hair which he had draped around his neck. Aaron snickered, looking at Adam who seemed distant somewhere. "What's wrong with you? Am I  _that_ appealing?" He shimmied with his bare chest, teasing Adam's masculinity. He just shook his head, still shaken.

"Ah, sorry, something has come up. I've got to dash. Sorry lad," He was already heading out Aaron's room as he spoke "i'll catch up with you later, yeah!" He shouted as he headed down the stairs, overcome with his mission to stop Robert. Aaron's brow was cocked, puzzled as his mind was probing for an answer as to why Adam suddenly dashed off. Aaron looked around, noticing his backpack had been messed with. He smirked to himself, realising Adam must have seen something. He felt amused as he knew Adam was always one to leave things as he found them, but he had slipped up this time. Aaron's face froze as he looked into his backpack. In the mad panic, Adam had not managed to take the envelope with him. Placed there, on Aaron's black, crooked jumper, was the crumpled up envelope, addressed to Aaron. He snatched it up into his palms, frantic to see what was inside it, but it was empty. The positive and negative wires in his mind slapped each other, making him realise. Adam. He must have taken it, but  _why?_ Aaron decided to slip into some clothes and head out. He wanted the letter back, as well as an explanation.

 

Adam knocked twice before entering his mum's farmhouse. She was cleaning the kitchen up, most probably checking for any crystals of pure silver from the night before. It would not be the easiest thing to explain to a mortal. She took one look before looking back at the table she was wiping down. "Oh dear, what's with you then? You seem flustered." She continued to move around the kitchen, moving over to the counter-tops to wipe them off. Adam slammed the letter down on the table. Moira shrugged her shoulders as her head rolled. "Love, I've just wiped that."

"Look." Adam pointed to it, ignoring what she was saying. He was starting to tighten his fists as he relayed the letter's contents in his head. Moira put down her rag and took a seat to examine the letter. Even her face was left distraught after reading the letter.

"I guess this proves it then. It seems that Robert did a wee bit more than just compulse Aaron. Love, do you think that we should do anything? We both know that Robert's compulsion will not last forever and he will remember Robert. It seems they have something, rather meaningful between them."

"Mum!" Adam lowered himself, drawing back as he realised who he was speaking to. Moira also made it clear, turning her torso in the chair and asserting her motherly authority through her raised eyebrows. Adam relaxed himself into the other seat, taking a breath to calm himself. "Mum...you cannot be serious can you? You know it is forbidden for a mortal, hunter or not to be with a vampire. No," Adam looked down at the letter as he continued "this is the best for Aaron."

"What is best for me?" Aaron had bolted through the door with a sternness covering his face. Adam looked up at him, pulling the letter into his lap re-actively. "I think that is mine, Adam." Aaron spoke low, determined to have that letter off Adam. He was about to say something to reason with Aaron but he snapped in again. "Adam, don't try and lie to me. I know you took that from my bag. I found this," He took out the envelope from his pocket, looking down at Adam, offended by his dishonesty "and that letter was in it. So, pass it here-now." Adam looked over at his mother and she was seeming to nod her head towards Aaron. Adam sighed, before holding out his arm with the letter in his hand. Aaron snatched the letter out of it, turning around as he read it. His heart was already snatched when he read the _'Dear Aaron.'_ It could have been from only one person, Robert. As he progressed down the letter, he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He did not realise how much Robert appreciated him, and how he entirely felt. Aaron ran his hand down his face, wiping the tears away from it before turning back to Adam. "Were you going to keep this from me?" Aaron roared at Adam who felt like a scolded child.

"Aaron...This is all out of your depth. You don't need to know about any of-"

"Adam!" He shredded his name through his clenched teeth. "You were going to keep that letter from me! I love Robert! And yes, I know, he is a vampire! I know about the Drakurys, I know vampires exist, I know who my father was, and I know what he did, and what Robert did to protect me. So what, were you going to keep that from me entirely then?" Aaron stopped for a second to wipe his face, looking for an answer upon Adam's cheeks. Something else tripped in his mind. "Wait, how do you know what Robert is? How do you know about any of this yourself? Are you one of them?"

"We are hunters, Aaron." Moira added, trying to speak as a voice of reason between the two.

"You're hunters? How long have you been hunters? Be honest with me, for once it seems."

"We have been hunters since birth. We were posted to defend the village. I personally made it my oath to defend you, considering who you are, and how highly you are hunted. Things became considerably easier when we heard about Gordon's passing. With him no longer able to try and get-"

"Wait." Aaron interrupted him. Adam had been trailing off, explaining everything, wanting to be honest. Only now he realised how deceitful he had been, all these years. "You knew? All that time! You knew about my dad, you knew who I was, and what was happening, but you didn't tell me! Adam, I deserved to know. Instead, I had to find out through someone that had been presumed dead for twelve years! If you dare think he is a bad person...well you have no right to, considering all you have done to me!"

"All I did was for you Aaron! It was all to protect you." Adam believed that entirely; he wondered how Aaron would take all of it in. He could never quite see him understanding it all and accepting it, so he didn't say anything.

"No, you should have told me." Aaron paced with his hands on his hips. He looked back at Adam, rolling his bottom lip over the upper. "You aren't to touch Robert. He has saved my life multiple times. And I know he wasn't upfront about everything initially, but he told me it all in the end, and I only saw him for a few days. If you are hunters, you should be hunting people that deserve to be hunted. Robert _doesn't._ He is misunderstood, scarred by his past, and he deserves someone to be there for him. I'm going back."

"What?" Adam got out of his seat, alerted by what Aaron had ended that sentence with.

"I am going back; Robert was under the impression I deserved a better life, better than him. But I only want him. Right now, he is a better person than the 'friend' I've had for years. I can't believe you've lied to me all this time...about my past, about my dad, about me!" Every word that left Aaron's mouth was wrapped in anger.

"I can't let you go back to him. I swore to protect you from anything and anyone, no matter what. I am sorry for this Aaron." He swung his fist into Aaron's face, knocking him out cold. He caught Aaron, carrying him into the living room. He lay him down on the settee, before turning to Moira. "We need to go and deal with this, _now_ , no excuses. He won't be out for long. Call Priya and Leyla and tell them to meet us outside the Home Farm estate. This ends today; it ends now." Adam stormed out of the house, stamping his feet and slamming the doors shut. Moira went over to Aaron to stroke his forehead before she left herself.

"I'm sorry Aaron." She looked down herself, sighing as she felt riddled with guilt.

 

"You knew those hunters would be out there, didn't you?" Rebecca paced back and forth in front of Robert, seething. Robert said nothing, only smirking at her, laughing at the pain she was in. She grunted, ripping out one of the bolts from her body, only to lodge it into Robert's shoulder blade. An ear-splitting cry came from his mouth as it entered. He had never felt the pain of pure silver before, and he was already in a broken state, so it only hurt more so. He tried to snatch it out but Rebecca smacked his hands away as she leaned on the bolt, causing it to sink deeper into his shoulder. "You-knew-didn't you!" She repeated herself, subtly enjoying the sight of Robert squirming. He was still unresponsive, mainly due to the excruciating pain he felt, rather than deliberately being awkward. Rebecca snatched the bolt out of his shoulder, causing him to hunch forward as his shaking hand moved up to hold his shoulder. She looked down at him, licking the ends of her teeth as the malice thought entered her mind. "That wasn't the only problem though, we had our sights on Aaron. It's a shame what happened really..."

"What!" Robert threw his torso forward, pushing through the pain to know what she meant. Rebecca turned away, looking over her shoulder, devils laughing in her eyes.

"He got caught up in our little fight. Ever heard of the term meat-shield Robert? I would have had many more bolts stuck into me if it wasn't for him."

"No...!" Robert coughed, blood splattering on the floor from his throat. He was shaking with his fists clenched, shaking as Aaron's face filled out his mind. His innocent, young fresh face. He didn't even know to what degree Aaron had been hurt, but he thought Rebecca wouldn't tell him unless it was severe. There was only one assumption he could come to...Aaron was dead. Tears of blood gushed down his cheeks, dripping off the edge of his chin. Looking up at her, his eyes locked onto her as they flashed. There was one thing Robert wanted right now, and nothing was going to stop him. He wanted her...dead. His barrier enveloped him. He pulled against the shackles, snapping the chain in half, leaving him free. Rebecca was turned away in that split second and only began turning as Robert was above her, ready to land. Robert kicked into her, pinning her down as she hit the floor. Like a vice, he locked every finger around her neck. He was close to passing out from the pain but none of it mattered in his vengeful rage. Throttling her, she felt her airway closing, as well as becoming empty due to no oxygen being able to pass the blockage that was Robert's hands. "You killed him!" Robert's head was swinging about wildly, causing his tears to spray over Rebecca and the surrounding floor. "You killed him! And now I'm going to kill you!" She tried to explain how she had lied, but she couldn't manage a single word as Robert's grip was too intense. This was the only thing that could patch up part of the hole that Robert felt in his crumbling heart, but he was even denied this, as he was flung to the side. Looking back as he flew, he saw Lawerence looking over Rebecca. She took in an almighty gasp of air as he helped her up. Robert was backed into a corner. He wasn't restrained but that is what he felt internally as the pain had siphoned his stamina. He fell to his knees whilst the energy around him dispersed.

"That was a mistake, Robert. A big mistake." Lawerence approached Robert, readying his fists. Outside, Adam was impatiently waiting against the stone pillar beside the gate. He was debating entering the premises himself and taking his chances. It was light out but Adam thought to hell with the order's rules of being discrete. He wanted Robert dead, and he wanted it now. If anyone did pass by, he could just say he was heading to some convention or something dressed the way he was. However, you had to be rather estranged with the area to walk past the Home Farm estate, considering its history. Moira approached with Leyla and Priya behind her, looking unimpressed.

"We need to rest Adam you know? I need my beauty sleep." Leyla moaned, touching up her lipstick before rolling her lips to spread it.

"This is more important than your petty beauty sleep, Leyla." Adam was unintentionally being harsh to everyone, about anything that wasn't what he wanted to do.

"Okay you grump git. Guessing we are going in there to get Robert, and the rest of those Whites?"

"I can't wait; I aren't finished with that blonde bitch." Priya took hold of the gate's railings as she spoke, imagining the railing was Rebecca's neck. Adam brushed past her, kicking open the gate, drawing his axes. Priya almost fell as she lost her grip. Rolling her tongue across her bottom gums, she drew back to speak with Moira. "He is being really off. I know he is on a mission but he is being out of order." They both watched Adam stampeding down the path with Leyla going into a sprint to follow him.

"He is a wee bit tunnelled on getting back at Robert. Aaron doesn't even want this but Adam is so hell bent on doing this...there isn't much we can do besides go along with it for now. I'm sorry Priya. Come on, let's catch up before he starts spitting anger at us again." Priya rolled her eyes as she sighed before heading into the grounds with Moira.

 

Aaron began to stir. He shot up, almost lowering entirely again as his face was hurting. He cursed mentally, thinking about what Adam had done. Then he realised what he was about to do. "Robert..." Aaron leaped off the settee, heading out of the house, blindly panicked.

 

Robert had taken a flurry of punches from Lawerence, leaving his face feeling numb again. Lawerence winded his fist ready for another when he heard an explosion from behind him, in the distance. Adam had kicked the door in, and he was already on the hunt. The other three entered behind him. Moira stood in front of Adam, holding him back as he was about to charge off on his own. She was still the leader of this small pack, and she needed to take control of the situation. "Adam, I'm your leader, and more importantly I'm your mother. Listen to me, and stop being so stupid." Adam looked at her, a little taken back by what she had just addressed him as. "You and me will go right. Leyla, Priya, you two go left. Meet back here if you find nothing. Be careful, this place is crumbling from the footings up, anywhere could be unstable, as well as the threat of vampires. Be on your guard. Split up." Moira and Adam headed to the right. Moira drew her crossbow, ready for anything. Aaron was speeding through the village, frantic to reach Home Farm before it was too late. In the deep shadows of the rooms ahead of Moira and Adam, Chrissie lurked, scouting their presence. She tried to go for a quick strike to stagger them. Leaping forward from what she thought was a hidden spot, she flew towards Adam. Moira spun, taking hold of her crossbow with one hand. As she spun, she bent Adam forward so the limbs of her crossbow didn't hit him. She belted its body into Chrissie's causing her to fly backwards and smash through part of the doorway. Lawerence dropped the almost lifeless Robert that was occupying his hands as he heard crashes closer. He walked over to Rebecca who was unsure what was happening.

"Stay here, I'll see what this is."

"Dad, I'm coming with you. We stay together, okay?" With the worry of Chrissie being endangered in Lawerence's mind, he didn't consider to argue. They both disappeared from the room. Robert lay on his side, a battered, bloody mess. Everything felt cold around him, as well as everything inside him. His heart felt crushed, leaving holes to let his emotions drip into the tissue in his stomach. He had no purpose, no reason to live, until Aaron came along...Now he was gone again, and the fight to stay alive seemed pointless. Robert closed his eyes, un-phased by his body beginning to shut down, one section at a time. Chrissie crawled backwards as the two hunters approached her. Lawerence and Rebecca appeared at her sides, lifting her up. In the current situation, Lawerence was enjoying the odds being in their favour. He rushed forward planting his fist into Adam's face, making him topple backwards over the settee. Rebecca and Chrissie came forward, trying to trap Moira between themselves. She deflected their light jabs, which soon turned into clawing attempts. Moira ducked, driving her boot's heel into Rebecca's kneecap. It pushed her leg backwards, leaving it to look grotesquely inverted. Rebecca stumbled backwards, leaving Chrissie distressed. Moira took advantage, thrusting her crossbow's face into Chrissie's chin, making her smack up against the ceiling before falling. Adam was not on form; his anger was leaving him open, vulnerable to Lawerence's strikes. He snagged Adam by his hair, throwing a punch into his face and causing him to collide with the coffee table. Tiny shards of glass flew up into the air before landing all around him. Lawerence was about to finish him until he saw Moira drawing a stake on Rebecca. She drove her hand down, aiming for Rebecca's heart. As it was about to make contact, everyone's mouths fell wide as Lawerence had appeared, causing the stake to dig into his body instead. It punctured is heart, causing his eyes to flash brightly. They lost their colour entirely afterwards, leaving him to appear soulless. "Dad?" Rebecca shrieked as his corpse shook in her arms. "Dad!" It was no use. When a vampire gets staked, it is an instant form of lethality. Lawerence was gone; there was nothing to repair as his heart had already crumbled into nothing from the stake's puncture. Chrissie snatched Rebecca away, holding her as they stuttered backwards. Chrissie focused on the death-bringer in front of her, whilst Rebecca was screaming at her to go back for their dad.

"Rebecca," Chrissie looked straight at her "he is dead! We need to save ourselves, that is what he would want! Come on!" Chrissie yanked Rebecca into a blur as they disappeared from the room. Moira looked down at the slowly disintegrating corpse in front of her. She touched her forehead, then her shoulders and then the bottom of her stomach, to mimic a cross as she silently prayed for mercy on his behalf. She got up, walking over to Adam to help him up. He winced as he bent his back.

"You are not focused Adam; stop letting your feelings get the better of you."

"I'm fine, it was just a mistake; it won't happen again." Adam hurried ahead, his thirst still not quenched as he was desperate to spill Robert's blood. Breathing heavily and puffing out large plumes of breath, Aaron came rushing around the corner, seeing the Home Farm estate in his sights. Chrissie and Rebecca stopped in one of the blackened out rooms in the depths of the house. They looked at each other, nodding.

"Let her out." Rebecca announced, sounding a little shaky, but Chrissie did agree. They went to the far side of the room. On the wall, there was a heavy door, padlocked along with a large plank of wood across it, held in two rusted metal brackets. Rebecca undid the padlocks whilst Chrissie threw off the plank of wood. They stood back as the door opened on its own, sending shivering creaks around the room as it had been locked for over a decade. They knew who was lurking inside so decided to make their escape before _she_ made it to the top of the stairs. In the looming darkness, nothing stirred, until a pair of bloodthirsty-red eyes opened. Nothing else could be made out beside her eyes. They glowed in the shadows, so brightly that they acted as a light for the being that was adjusting to freedom once again. Her bracelets clacked and the screech of her broken heels echoed in a ghostly fashion around the room. She groaned, before fleeing the room as scents of blood rolled around her nostrils. Adam and Moira had traversed through a few rooms before they came to one that had light shut out of it. Adam could just about make out a body on the other side of the room.  _Robert..._ He walked over slowly, looking down at the broken being before him. Moira stood back. She didn't agree with what Adam was doing but she also did not want to keep him from doing what he was sworn to do. He believed Robert was a threat to Aaron, and he needed to dispose of him.

"Well someone isn't looking too good are they?" Adam crouched down in front of Robert. He grabbed his face, lifting it up, causing Robert's eyes to open to slits. "Don't you dare die on me, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." Moira looked around, alerting too late as she saw a pair of beaming red eyes in the darkness.

"Ada-!" She was pushed backwards into the wall. The strength of being left her stunned as she hit the wall. Adam turned around, looking up at the person that was upon him. Being so close let him take a good look at them. Their identity left him baffled. He was stunned as well, but from the horrific shock.

"It can't be..." Aaron had been running through the estate, trying to find where everyone was. He stopped in one of the rooms, almost stumbling as he saw the body of Lawerence. It was starting to crumble into nothingness now. That, along with the smashed coffee table were both signs that someone had been in here. Aaron continued through the rooms, seeing no evidence of life. He ran into the darkened room, taking a quick glimpse at Moira to his side, before looking ahead and seeing a silhouetted figure towering over Adam. In those few moments, his world seemed to slow down. He could hear his breathing in his eardrums. It was close to exploding his head as it deafened him. He felt something deep in his stomach, prompting him to extend his arm. A soft voice spoke in his head: _Cirukois_ (creation). As if a set of instructions, Aaron did exactly what he felt compelled to do, along with speaking what he heard. Extending his arm, he shouted " _Cirukois!"_ "(creation). The silhouetted figure turned around to witness the marvel. Aaron's eyes were consumed by white energy, whilst clouds of it fell from his mouth. The same energy popped from his fingertips. As it did, bolts of pure celestial energy formed in front of him. The figure gasped, realising who the person was ahead of her.

"Aaron..." She spoke under her breath. Things had declined in her mind, and he was nothing more than someone to feast on, no longer her son. She ran forward, weaving side to side. Aaron waved his hand down, causing the bolts to fly forward. They seemed to home onto the figure. She tried to avoid them but even with her expert agility, she was still struck by them. She fell backwards, scratching her nails into the ground. They caused a piercing screech to echo around the room, like chalk against a blackboard. It went through everyone, besides her, making them cringe. Moira was now standing besides Aaron, whilst Adam had rose to his feet. The crazed being didn't favour her chances. She decided to flee, dispersing in a blink. A twisting typhoon ripped through Aaron's mind. _What had just happened?_ He looked at his hands, then at Moira, then at the space where the figure was, then at Adam. Halting, he saw Adam was not coming over to check on him. He had his back to him, looking down at someone, readying his axe. Aaron's heart felt gripped as he followed Adam's stare down. Robert...

"Adam, no!" Aaron shouted in a plead, running over and falling to his knees to be at Robert's side. Adam worryingly still had his axe primed. Moira came over and yanked it out of his hand, pulling him backwards. As Aaron lifted up Robert's close-to-death body, Moira lectured Adam a distance away from them.

"What is wrong with you, eh! Look, I know you feel you need to protect Aaron but this clearly isn't right. Look at him!" She gestured over at Aaron with her hand. "As much as you don't want to admit it, Aaron loves Robert. If you killed him it would only make things worse for Aaron. Can't you see that?" Moira's hopes were high as she saw Adam drooping his whole body as he sighed. Lifting his head up, Adam half-smiled at the sympathy that still managed to appear on his mother's face, despite how much of a one-track-minded idiot he had been.

"I know...I was so desperate to protect Aaron...I didn't even consider what was best for him. I'm sorry for causing all this massive ordeal. It hasn't helped much..."

"We got one didn't we? We almost got the other two as well. Come on, let's leave them to talk, they need some space." Moira walked Adam out of the room, waiting just inside the other. Aaron stroked Robert's hair as he had his body resting against his knees. Tears fell uncontrollably as he looked over all of Robert's injuries. Seeing him in this dishevelled state only caused him pain as well. Aaron let out a single chuckle, causing tears to eject from his ducts as he thought about the letter.

"I got your letter..." He was speaking quietly, hoping for some kind of change in Robert's face. Robert could hear him, but he thought it was just an illusion, something he was feeling as he started to pass on. "I didn't realise how much of a soppy lad you were." He laughed, only to be followed by his face crumbling more as tears streamed freely now. He desperately wanted Robert to move as his mind was starting to make him fear the worst. He looked down at Robert's limp body as his head was just rolling away from him. "Robert!" He was shaking him, backwards and forth, side-to-side, desperate to get something out of him. "Robert," he rattled him "wake up, now!" His tears dropped against Robert's bruised and bloody cheek. Robert himself was starting to feel a more realistic inclination, was Aaron actually there? "You've got to wake up, Robert...I'm not ready to say goodbye..." Aaron rested his forehead against Robert's, cupping his head in his embrace, wanting to fight the odds and keep the reaper of death away from the man he loved. "I remembered everything...I came back...now _you_ come back to me-please..." That all too familiar icy touch, that sent sensations through his body made contact with the nape of his neck. Aaron opened his eyes, seeing Robert's arm moving in the peripheral of his vision. Seeing Robert's eyes flickering open caused adrenaline to race around his body.

"A-Aaron..." Robert coughed blood again. Aaron sat him up against his knees so he didn't choke on it. "Is that, you? Really-you?" Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert, snuggling his head beside Robert's.

"It's me...I'm here, I came back. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easy, hm?" He laughed softly as tears were passively falling from his eyes as he spoke. Robert stroked the back of Aaron's head. Robert sat up; his body wobbled as he struggled with the close to paralysing pain. He turned around, wanting to see Aaron's face for himself, in case he was just imagining this all. As he turned, he felt a pulse in his deadly-cold heart. It was Aaron, his sweet little face of innocence, with his cute scruffy stubble and his bright ombre-blue eyes that had the freshness of spearmint. Seeing his face caused a smile to pull through his inflamed cheeks and bruised jaw line. He saw bruising over Aaron's face.

"Aaron-what happened t-to your face?" Aaron smirked, as Robert was only bothered about a minor bruise on his face, when he had gaping wounds, blood oozing over him and other brutal wounds.

"I am fine Robert, you're the one you should be worrying about!" Robert leaned forward to embrace him, feeling that indescribable feeling, like he always did when he was close to Aaron. Aaron himself stopped for a second, closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Robert's body.

"I've missed you." Robert's voice was lighter than a feather as his lungs felt punctured.

"And I've missed you...I'm not going anywhere." Aaron replied, tightening his hold around Robert. He finally had him back in his arms, and he didn't want it to ever change again. Robert retracted himself so he could rest his forehead against Aaron's. They gazed into each other's eyes, before Robert moved in to kiss Aaron. His lip was bust but Aaron didn't care; he had missed Robert, missed everything, missed _this_. They tasted just as soft as he remembered them, even with the distracting taste of blood on them. Aaron leaned back, stroking Robert's cheek. "Right, let's get you-" Aaron's face jolted upwards as he choked on nothing more than the sudden pain that had stolen his breath. Robert's face dropped as he saw a figure behind Aaron, with their hand stuck into his back. Moira and Adam alerted, but it was too late, as they entered, the figure fled. It was the same one from before; she had returned to finish her work. As Robert watched everything reducing to slow motion, he saw the two hunters running towards him and Aaron. Blinking once, he looked back over at Aaron who was falling forward into him. Robert caught him, lying him down on the floor. As he hunched over him, he was shaking; his eyes were rolling as cut breaths escaped his mouth that provided him with no oxygen. Robert's hands trembled as he stroked his face, wondering what to do. He had never been faced with losing someone he cared about, like he did Aaron. Robert had only just go him back, and it seemed he was going to lose him, forever this time.

"No, no, no!" Robert was rattling, petrified by the sudden twist in reality. "Aaron!" Robert shouted his name, with all his love, pain, heartbreak and determination. But, Robert wondered, was it too late to do anything?

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM LATE AGAIN!!! Honestly Friday to Sunday I was so tired. I had broken sleep and that along with waking up early for this I did not give myself time to write much as I felt so drained lmao and using my head would have just made it hurt.
> 
> I wanted to leave you on a little cliff hanger for the next chapter. I was going to throw it all into one chapter but I want to add a bit of suspense. Is Robert gonna save Aaron this time?! 8)


	9. TEMP // READ

I just wanted to update you all! I am still working on this! I haven't just given up on it lmao. I recently started work, mon-fri, 9-5 so I have been SHATTERED. Focusing on writing is just a task that is too much for me in the evenings when I get back and then I binge games at the weekend. However, I am going to work on this at some point! Stay tuned!!! :) !


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